Harts in Armour
by reilert79
Summary: Jennifer goes to Seattle to interview a ruthless businessman, and in the aftermath, Jonathan is forced to face his biggest fear.
1. Chapter 1

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer and Jonathan were spending a lazy day in bed. Jonathan had decided to give everyone a day off, since they had had such a phenomenal quarter. He and Jennifer were taking advantage of it. They had slept late, had breakfast in bed, and had given each other massages. They had just made love for the 2nd time this morning, and were cuddling and chatting.

"What else do you want to do today, darling? We have the whole day to ourselves".

"Whatever you want to do, I cleared my schedule to spend the whole day with you". He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I love days like this with you".

She leaned up and kissed him, and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Darling, you never did tell me why you took the day off".

He was talking to her as he planted several kisses on her neck.

"Well, darling, we had such a phenomenal quarter, business wise, and all of my companies passed their quarterly evaluations, so I decided that the headquarters deserved a reward, and gave everyone a day off".

"Quarterly evaluations, huh? I don't think I have ever had quarterly evaluations".

"Oh, you haven't? Well, let me evaluate you".

He propped himself up on one arm.

"What we do is we take everything into account-absolutely everything. There are several different categories, and they are all judged on the 1-10 scale, with 10 being the highest. So, the first category is 'has a good attitude'".

"Oh, it is? And what score do I get?"

"10". He kissed her jawbone.

"And what is the next category?"

"Has company's best interests at heart".

"And what company would that be, darling?"

"You and I are a company, babe".

"Oh, ok. So, what's my score?"

He leaned down and kissed her lips.

"10".

She smiled and rubbed his back some.

"And the next category?"

"Availability. Perfect score there too".

She kissed him.

"And then we have a special category. You see, this is category is worth multiple points. If you score high enough, on the magic number, then it counts multiple times".

She chuckled. "I see. What category is this?"

"It's the one where the boss asks a question, and your answer determines your score".

"Ask away". He was nuzzling her neck pretty strong.

"Mrs. Hart, we are really backed up here at the office…. Is there any way that you can stay and work overtime tonight with the CEO? It pays well". He left a trail of kisses down to her chest.

"I think I can do that, Mr. Hart".

He leaned up and kissed her. "Perfect score. Now you get to go to the bonus round".

"What's the bonus round?"

"Physical evaluation".

He gave her a glance over, and then looked back at her. "Aesthetics. 10".

He reached down and squeezed her butt with one hand and her boob with another.

"Firmness, 10. That's good".

"Jonathan!"

She reached down and grabbed him.

"You're pretty firm yourself, cowboy".

"And the final category- flexibility".

He picked up her legs and threw them open, and moved in between them.

"Jonathan! I don't bend this way- oh, that feels nice."

His lips crushed hers as his hands ran up and down all over her body, pulling her as close to him as possible.

"Darling, is there some sort of reward for my good evaluation?"

"Mmmhmmm".

"Do I get it soon?"

"Mmmmhmmm".

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"More overtime with the boss".

He kissed her in that spot on her neck that made her arch her back.

"Perfect".

He kissed her nipples a few times and then she wrapped her legs around his waist, as he found her center and entered her.

They rocked their hips together in unison, and a low moan escaped from her lips.

She locked eyes with him and kissed him passionately.

"Now, Jonathan, now…."

"Ok, baby".

He brought her to the edge, and followed right behind her. It was the most passionate, intense, exhilarating sex they had had in a long time.

She was smiling and chuckling some, as she rolled over and put her head on his chest.

"What is it?"

"I was just thinking, I am such a lucky girl. I have the best husband, a wonderful job, and the most understanding and thoughtful boss".

He leaned down and kissed her.

"I love you, Red".

"I love you, Jonathan Charles".

They fell asleep shortly after, and napped for a few hours, wrapped up in each other's arms.

Sometime in the early afternoon, Jennifer woke up and went to the kitchen to make them a tray of snacks.

The phone rang just as she walked into the kitchen.

She grabbed it quickly.

"Hello?"

"Jennifer, hi. It's Marcia".

"Hi, how are you?"

"Fine, fine. Listen, I have an assignment for you. There is a company that wants someone to do an in-depth spotlight piece on their CEO. This piece will for sure run in their company magazine, but possibly in other business magazines as well. The company promised to give you full credit and pay per publication".

"Sounds great. Who is it?"

"The company is in Seattle. They are a wealth management firm, named PremierWealth LLC. The CEO that you will be interviewing is Jack Hanson. I was hoping you would do it, since you are on the West Coast".

"When do I have to leave?"

"3 days. They are providing all of your accommodations. They booked you a first-class flight to Seattle, and a luxury suite at the Four Seasons. When the article is finished, they said they would book you another flight home".

"Ok, sounds great".

"Thanks, Jennifer. Hope you enjoy the trip".

"Thanks, Marcia".

She hung up, and wrote down all the details, and then made their snack tray.

She carried it back up to the bedroom.

Jonathan was still sleeping.

She set the tray down, and gently climbed into bed and snuggled up to him.

He moaned and pulled her close.

"Darling…I'm starved".

"Me too".

He burrowed his face closer to her.

"What do you say we go raid the fridge?"

"No need, darling. I made us a tray of snacks".

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"You did? When did you do that?"

"Just now. You were sleeping so soundly you didn't even realize that I had gone downstairs".

"You're amazing".

He leaned up and kissed her, and then they both sat up.

She grabbed their tray and put it on the bed. He picked up a strawberry and fed it to her.

"Darling, did you hear the phone ring while I was downstairs?"

"No. Who was it?"

"Marcia. She has an out of town assignment for me next week".

"Oh, what is it?"

"An in-depth interview on the CEO of a wealth management company. She said it's in Seattle, and that his name is Jack Hanson. The company is named-"

"PremierWealth, LLC. Jennifer, Jack Hanson has a very dangerous reputation in the business world".

"How dangerous?"

"Ruthless, stops at nothing to get what he wants. He has this way of doing things and then eliminating the paper trail so that nobody can put legal consequences on him. His employee turnover happens at an astonishing rate, darling. You know Jake Lawler in legal? He worked for him right out of college. He told me once that he had worked there about 3 years, as an account executive. He realized that Jack wasn't always doing things ethically, so he decided to pursue other job opportunities. Jack found out and had his car disabled so that he wouldn't be able to get to an interview".

"Disabled how?"

"Slashed all 4 tires, took his sparkplugs and put sugar in his gas tank".

"That's a serious accusation, darling."

"I know. Jake said he couldn't prove it, but he just knew that Hanson was responsible".

"Well, all I have to do is follow him around for a day with his family, and then a day or two at the office. I imagine that the rest of my time there will be spent writing the article and editing it."

"Don't be surprised if he tries to control what you print and what information you dig up on him. I'm not telling you what to do, but you need to stay on your toes when you are around him".

She nodded.

"When do you leave?" He fed her another strawberry.

"Sunday night. Jack Hanson bought me a first-class ticket, and got me a suite at the Four Seasons".

"When do you come home?"

"Marcia said when my article was finished, the company would buy me a return ticket".

Jennifer noticed Jonathan had a somewhat strained look on his face.

"Darling, something doesn't feel right about that. I tell you what-fly up there on his ticket. But when you are ready to come home, you call me and I will send our plane".

She nodded and kissed him.

"You can come with me, if you'd like".

"Wish I could, but I have 3 very important meetings beginning of the week that I can't put off. If you are still there, maybe I can come up Wednesday night".

They both grew somewhat quiet then, thinking about how much they hate to be apart.

***Sunday***

Jonathan snuck out of bed and went downstairs. He ordered Jennifer's favorite breakfast to be delivered, and started coffee.

She had this special concoction that she made up to go in their coffee. She made it a jug at the time, and kept it in the fridge. Jonathan had no idea what was in it, but it made their coffee amazing.

He got the jug out, and poured some into their coffee cups, and was about to take some up to her, when she came walking into the kitchen.

"Morning, darling".

She wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace.

"Morning, gorgeous. Coffee is ready, and breakfast is on its way".

"It is? How sweet".

She leaned up and kissed him.

"Today is Jennifer day. We are going to do all kinds of things to spoil you and you aren't going to lift a finger".

"Darling, that's very sweet, but I have to get ready for my trip and I have to get the house ready for me to be gone".

"What were you going to do?"

"I was going to run to the market and make you some freezer meals so you can eat while I am gone. I was going to finish your laundry, and pack my suitcase. Take my car to the car wash, things like that".

"I tell you what. We can go to the market together. We can make the meals together, and you can work me as hard as you please. I will help you with the laundry and packing your suitcase and this week, while you are gone, I will have your car washed and detailed, inside and out".

He leaned forward and kissed her a couple of times.

"Ok".

Breakfast arrived then, and he insisted that she sit and drink her coffee while he got it ready.

After they ate, he did the dishes while she went and showered and got ready. He jumped in the shower right behind her, and they were ready to walk out the door in 30 minutes.

Jonathan was like a kid who had too much sugar at the grocery store. He was making her laugh so hard on each aisle, that she was almost crying.

They were in the meat section, and Jonathan put a salami stick in the cart.

Jennifer picked it up.

"No darling, this is too salty".

"Jennifer, you see how you are holding it?"

"What about how I am holding it?"

"Remind you of anything?"

"Jonathan! Behave yourself".

She put it back in the case.

"Ten dollars is too much to pay for salami".

"Especially when you can get twice that at home for free".

"Jonathan! Honestly".

She had to kiss him to keep from laughing.

They were able to get the shopping done, even with Jonathan acting like a complete and total goofball the whole time.

He loaded the groceries into the car, and she started it to get cool on the inside.

"This was fun, shopping with you".

"Jonathan, you were like a kid in a candy store".

"But you had fun, didn't you?"

She looked at him and smiled.

"Yeah, yeah I did".

They were stopped at a stoplight.

He leaned over and kissed her.

"Good".

They got home and she made him a lasagna to heat up one night, and a chicken and rice casserole, and his favorite breakfast casserole and sweet potato casserole. They got all of those into the freezer, and labeled. She marinated him some steaks for him to grill, as well.

"You should be good darling. Hopefully I will be home either Thursday or Friday, or you will be with me, so then the freezer meals that you don't eat will keep and we can have those next week".

He kissed her forehead and they did the dishes together.

She headed upstairs to gather his laundry.

He quickly took the opportunity to make a quick phone call while she was out of the room.

"Hey, can you possibly shadow my wife in Seattle starting tomorrow, and lasting possibly the rest of the week? She will be at PremierWealth, LLC, and has a suite at the Four Seasons. This is just between you and me, I don't want her to know…..thank you. Figure out a price and I will send you a check. Thanks".

He hung up before Jennifer came back, hoping that his plan would work and that she would be safe all week in Seattle.


	2. Chapter 2

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan had just hung up the phone when he heard Jennifer coming. She was cussing and talking to herself.

She had a big load of laundry in her arms, and kept dropping socks and shirts.

"That's it! If we ever renovate this house, we WILL get a laundry chute! I don't know how Max put up with this all those years…..he took….care of us…".

She looked sad as she finished saying that, as she realized that she and Jonathan were both remembering Max.

He didn't say a word, he just came over and took the laundry from her, and tried to help her out. They got it onto the table in the laundry room, and then he went and retraced her steps and picked up the ones she dropped.

They sorted the laundry together, in silence, and she started a load for him.

After she got the washing machine going, she turned to him and embraced him.

"Thank you for helping, darling. Sorry for my little rant".

"Your little rants are cute, darling. I love it when you get fired up, especially when it's not towards me".

"I thought you loved it when I got fired up towards you".

"That's different, that's not because you are mad at me".

"Good point".

She went upstairs and started packing her suitcase, and he sat with her on the bed while she did.

"Patsy, the cleaning lady will be here Tuesday".

"Tuesday? I thought she came Thursdays."

"No, darling, she comes every other Tuesday. We pay her $300 each time. The gardener comes Wednesday, and we pay him $1250. Pool man comes Thursday, darling."

"How much do we pay him?"

"$500. He only comes once a month".

He nodded.

He was jotting all of this down.

"Do all of them have the gate code?"

"Yes, they do. And I leave Patsy's check on the piano, and the pool man's check and the gardener's check, I put in envelopes and attach to the clip right outside the kitchen door".

"Got it".

She got her suitcase all packed, and then she started packing her travel bag.

"Darling, remember you have a dentist appointment tomorrow afternoon. If your mouth is hurting afterwards, the soup you like is in the pantry and the basil that I add to it is in the spice cabinet. If you are still hungry, the lasagna might be a good thing to heat up for dinner, if you can stand chewing since it's soft. And the pain reliever is in the cabinet above the coffee pot, or up here in the bathroom, second drawer on the left on my side of the vanity".

"Ok darling".

She finished packing that, and then went and sat down at the desk. She began writing out checks, and paying some bills.

About 30 minutes later, she was finished.

"Darling, these envelopes here need to be mailed out tomorrow. I paid all the bills, so you won't have to worry about it. Pile one needs to be mailed out, pile 2 is the checks for Patsy, the gardener and the pool man".

He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Darling, I have stayed here without you before and survived. It will be ok, I promise. You will only be gone a few days. It will be over before you know it".

"I know, I just keep thinking I am forgetting something that will be happening while I am gone is all. I just don't want you to worry about anything".

"The only thing I am going to worry about is you."

He kissed her tenderly, and held her close.

"How much time till you have to be at the airport?"

"4 hours."

"What else do you have to do?"

"Shower, change clothes, and print out my tickets".

"Great. We have time for one more surprise".

"I love surprises!"

"I know. Now close your eyes".

She closed her eyes and he got a blindfold and put it over her eyes.

"Jonathan, this is silly".

"Just hang with me, babe".

He went and got something out of her closet, and then returned to her.

"First, we have to put on your special costume."

He took her clothes off her, and slipped a negligee on her.

"Jonathan, what I am wearing? What are we doing?"

"Soon, darling. All will be revealed soon".

He picked her up, and carried her all around the room, up and down the hall, in and out of the bathroom, and then back to their bed.

She was laughing as she held on for dear life to his neck.

"Darling….darling….what is going on?"

He sat down on the bed, and then slowly, laid her on him, as he laid back on the bed.

He started to kiss her neck, and felt her body relax.

"Ahh…. I think I know where we are, now".

"Oh you do?"

"Yes. I do".

"Nope, you're wrong. You lose".

"Jonathan!". She felt his face with her hands and kissed him.

"I am going to miss these lips the next few days".

"And I will miss yours".

He laid her on the middle of the bed, and then got on top of her, and continued to kiss her neck and jawbone.

She found his hair and ran her fingers through it.

She wrapped her legs around him, as he joined their bodies together, and cried out in ecstasy as he took them both over the edge of desire together.

His lips crushed hers as they both came down from the high.

She slowly slipped the blindfold off.

"That was amazing. We should have blindfold sex more often".

"That can be arranged".

"Thank you for my surprise, darling".

She kissed him a few times, and then got up and headed for the shower.

He straightened up their room, and took her suitcases downstairs and put them by the door.

She put on some yoga pants, flip flops and a long-sleeved t-shirt after her shower, and threw her hair up into a clip. Low maintenance was her travel mode, always.

"What are your plans for tonight, when you get to Seattle?"

"I plan on heading to the hotel, and then grabbing something to eat and crashing at the hotel".

"Sounds good."

As soon as she was ready, they went downstairs and she printed off her travel documents, and then he loaded the car, and drove her to LAX.

***LAX***

He pulled up to the unloading bay, and got her bags out of the back.

She got out of the car, and embraced him.

"I am going to miss you, darling".

"I am going to miss you, too".

He kissed her passionately.

"Call me when you get settled into your hotel room".

"I sure will".

"Did I say I was going to miss you?"

"Yes, but you can say it again".

He stared into her beautiful whiskey brown eyes, and lightly kissed her lips.

"It's probably only going to be 4 days or so, but I am really going to miss you".

They shared a few more passionate kisses.

"Excuse me, you need to move your car or you will be ticketed. Goodbye time is over".

Jonathan chuckled, and gave her one last kiss.

"I love you, Red".

"I love you too, Jonathan Charles".

She tweaked his nose, and kissed him again, and then headed to the bag check.

Jonathan blew her a kiss as he drove away.

***Three hours later***

Jennifer landed in Seattle, and waited for her bag at the baggage claim.

After waiting for what seemed like forever, she grabbed her bag and took a taxi to the hotel.

She got checked in, and asked the hotel receptionist about the best place to grab a bite to eat so late.

"Right across the street, is a 24-hour deli. They deliver here, with no delivery charge. I can give you a menu and some coupons".

"That sounds heavenly".

She looked at the menu, decided on her order, and placed it from the front desk, and then headed up to her room.

Her suite was absolutely beautiful. She had a lovely balcony that would be great for breakfast, and had a wonderful view at night. Her bathroom was just as big as her and Jonathan's, if not bigger.

She got settled, and then sat down on the bed and called Jonathan.

He answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"I love you".

"I love you too, darling".

"How is your hotel room?"

"Nice, spacious, lonely without you".

"Just going to be a few short days, darling. But our bed is lonely without you tonight, too".

"Did you eat dinner?"

"Yes, I had the breakfast casserole".

"I knew you would eat that first, you love that".

"Darling, what is your secret recipe for that stuff you put in my coffee?"

"I made a jug of it, and there's plenty in the fridge".

"Yes, but darling…what is in it? I might have to make more this week".

"Why on earth would you have to make more? There is enough for 2 weeks in there, darling".

In her head, she was telling him "1 large carton coconut milk, ½ jar coconut oil, ½ bottle pure vanilla".

"How was your flight?"

"Fine. First class, but since it was only 2 ½ hours, it was over quickly. I read a book, and then we were here".

"Did you find something to eat?"

"Yeah, I ordered from the deli across the street. The receptionist recommended it."

"Great. Well, I miss you. Now tomorrow, when you meet with Jack Hanson, I want you to be careful darling. Stay on your toes and trust your instincts. He's shrewd but pretentious, and he's not going to just let you interview him without trying to get something from you in return".

"I will be fine, darling. I promise."

"I know, I just can't help but worry. He doesn't have the best reputation, and he isn't known for being easy to work with. I would hate for him to give you a hard time".

There was a knock at the door. She went to the peep hole and looked out. It was her dinner.

"Darling, my dinner is here. Hang on".

She put the phone down, and then paid the delivery guy, and thanked him.

She picked the phone back up.

"Ok, darling. I'm all locked into my room, and I am going to eat, and then go to bed."

"I love you. I wish you were here with me, I miss you to the moon and back".

"I miss you too, darling. I love you, you know that".

"Call me in the morning?"

"Sure."

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone.

After she ate her dinner, she changed into one of Jonathan's pajama tops and headed to bed.

She had spritzed it with his cologne when she packed it, so she was able to fall asleep easier with him sort of next to her.

***The next morning***

Jennifer was up early, and showered and dressed. She was about to walk out the door when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, darling".

"Hi darling. Sleep well?"

"Yes, but only after I sprayed some of your perfume on your pillow".

"Really? That's funny, I kind of did the same thing with yours".

"What do you mean?"

"I brought one of your pajama tops to sleep in, and I sprayed it with your cologne before I packed it".

"Great minds think alike".

"How was your coffee this morning?"

"Amazing. Wish I knew what your secret concoction was".

"You will just have to figure it out, darling".

She loved the cat and mouse games they played.

"What time are you meeting with Hanson?"

"9. So, I better get going-I am gonna grab some breakfast in the lobby and then head to his office".

"Have a good day, sweetheart. Call me tonight?"

"Will do. And Jonathan?"

"Yes darling?"

"I love you".

"I love you too, Jennifer".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone.

She headed downstairs, and surveyed the contents of the breakfast bar.

They had a coffee bar that had everything you needed to make your own coffee or latte or whatever you wanted, and a rather expansive breakfast buffet.

She made her coffee the way she loved it, and then grabbed some fruit and toast.

At 8:40, she was in a taxi headed to Jack Hanson's office.

She never noticed that she had a shadow, watching and following her every move.

***PremierWealth LLC***

Jennifer took the elevator to Jack Hanson's office, and checked in with his secretary.

"Yes ma'am, Mr. Hanson is expecting you".

She was shown into his office. He was tall, broad shouldered, and had a tan like George Hamilton. She was always really good at reading people. Her gut instinct told her right away that he liked to put on a show. She didn't get that genuine feeling about him that she had gotten about Jonathan when they first met.

"Hi, I am Jennifer Hart, pleased to meet you".

"Hello Jennifer, I am Jack Hanson. Thanks for doing this".

They shook hands, and then he showed her to a chair.

"Please, have a seat".

"Mr. Hanson, typically on assignments like this, I observe first. I am just part of the background. I will spend the day here with you, watching what you do, and then we can do the family time tomorrow, if you like. After that, I will spend time in the hotel writing the article and putting it together, and then if I need to ask you any additional questions or gather any additional information, I will come back and do that. So, you might see me taking notes today-don't be alarmed. I am known for copious amounts of research, I feel it's better to have too much than not enough".

"That sounds fine. I would like to look over the article before you submit it to your publisher though, if that's ok".

"Certainly. And I never print anything that is inflammatory or untrue".

"So, tell me something- how is old Jonathan? It's been a few years since I have seen him".

"I wasn't aware that you and my husband knew each other".

"We don't "know" each other, but we have some mutual business contacts. And I am sure you know that your husband is a force to be reckoned with in West Coast business. We are all just struggling to keep up with him".

"That's very kind of you. He definitely has a good head for business".

She got out her legal pad and a pen.

"Ok, so what does your schedule look like today?"

"Well, I was thinking we could start with a tour of the facilities, and then you can sit in on my meeting later, with the board. This afternoon, I am buying a company, and we will have a press conference for me to sign the paperwork".

"Sounds perfect".

She found an out of the way spot for her things, and took her legal pad and pen with her as they began the tour.

He showed her everything, all their different offices, the large conference room where they had meetings, the theater where he could link into a meeting literally anywhere on the globe.

"You just plug your laptop into this portal, and use the ethernet cable to connect it to the table. We pull the meeting up on the big screen, and we can see and hear them and talk to them that way. We have microphones at every desk, and the speakers are loud enough for the room to hear everything, or we can use headphones, if you are the only one in here. When you pull up a document on your laptop, if they are connected, they can work on it in real time with you".

"This is amazing! I love this".

"It really is helpful. I might have a meeting with someone who wants me to manage their wealth. And let's say their son has power of attorney on their accounts, but he lives in another state. We can do a meeting like this, since most all of the big cities have these meetup rooms, and he can hear me tell him why this is beneficial, ask me any questions he has, and then sign the documents electronically right there. It cuts out waiting for FedEx or UPS to get the papers to him, him signing them, and then mailing them back".

"I am impressed. Imagine how much more business can be conducted this way. If all the businesses used this, we could advance much faster, in all areas, like medical technology, cosmetics, politics, the possibilities are endless".

"Exactly. I didn't invent it. But I filed the patent on it, and I introduced it to the business world".

"Does this theater set up have a name?"

"Yes. We call it Global Expand".

They finished their tour, and ended up back at Jack's office.

"Mrs. Hart, this is my secretary Danielle. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask her".

"Jennifer, please. And I certainly will."

They went back to his office, and Jennifer took a seat in the background to observe him.

She took several pages of notes. She still felt like he was putting on an act where she was concerned, but like most acts in a play, they all have to end sometime. She just had to be patient.

***Later that night***

Jennifer came back to her hotel, and ordered dinner from the deli across the street.

She was freezing, and couldn't wait for a grilled cheese and bowl of tomato soup. She also ordered a piece of grilled chicken.

She changed into some comfy clothes, and picked up the phone to call Jonathan.

"Hello?"

"I love you".

"I love you too, darling. How was your day?"

"Interesting. He really is a fascinating person, darling. He gave me a tour of his facility, which is state of the art, or close to it. And he has this theater, I swear you need one. Do you know what I am talking about?"

"No, not really".

"It's this theater, and you connect a laptop to it. So, let's pretend that you are buying his building. So, you would connect in your theater, and he would connect in his, and there's a huge screen where you can see him and hear him and he can see you and hear you. And you can pull up the documents on your laptop, and you could electronically sign them, and he can work on them with you in real time. So, it basically cuts out the middle man when you have to fly to sign the papers or mail them and wait for each other".

"Darling, what exactly did he tell you about this theater?"

"That it wasn't his invention, but that he filed the patent on it, and is responsible for placing them in all the major cities. And Jonathan, before you say anything, I want you to know I haven't done research on him yet. Today was just me following him around".

"Fair enough. Darling, I am not accusing him of anything. But I am saying that the accusation has been made that he didn't come by the paperwork for filing that patent honestly."

"What do you mean?"

"Another businessman from Chicago had that idea, and had flown out to a business convention that both Jack and I attended several years ago, here in Los Angeles. He was trying to get people to invest in it, so that he could file the patent and get it off the ground. And Jack listened to his pitch and I listened to his pitch. And I was sold. I invested in his business. When he left that night, after the convention, he was mugged at his car, and the only thing that was stolen was the paperwork that he would need for the patent. It had

the vision statement, the mission statement, all that. And if you pull the paperwork on the current patent on it, you can see that the paperwork is exactly the same except instead of saying "Brent Tomlinson", it says "Jack Hanson".

"I see."

"Did he tell you what the name of the theater was?"

"Yes".

"Was it Global Expand?"

"Yes, it was".

"I am telling you, he's cunning and ruthless. But he puts on this act of being pretentious. He has called me several times and wanted to partner with me, but I refuse to do business with someone so unethical."

"I don't blame you".

"I miss you, darling".

"I miss you too."

"What's on deck for tomorrow?"

"Spending the afternoon with his family. I sat in on a board meeting this morning, and he was aggressive. You know how you let everyone speak- he doesn't. It honestly felt like he was telling everyone how to vote. They all seemed afraid of him, too".

"Well, hopefully, you can get your article written, and then get back home sooner rather than later".

"That's my plan, darling. You know I don't like being away from you anymore than you like being away from me".

There was a knock at the door.

"Hang on darling".

She answered the door, paid the delivery guy and then picked the phone back up.

"Ok I'm back".

"What did you order tonight?"

"Grilled cheese, grilled chicken, and tomato soup".

"Sounds good, but that's what you eat when you are sick. Are you feeling ok?"

"Yes, I am just freezing. It's been cold all day".

"Wish I was there to warm you up".

"Me too. How was your dentist appointment?"

"Fine. He gave me some numbing meds and I am not too sore".

"Perfect".

They chatted a little longer, and then they hung up so that she could eat.

"I am going to research him and the company tonight, darling. I might call you back if I have a question. Can you have Stanley investigate his financial practices for me?"

"Sure".

"I love you".

"Love you too, Red. Miss you so much".

"Miss you too, Jonathan Charles".

She blew him a kiss and hung up the phone.

***Across town***

Jack Hanson was driving home. He was engaged in a conversation on his cell phone.

"Yes, she came by the office today. I gave her the tour, and told her that I wanted to approve the article before she submitted it. So, we will simply switch our article with hers, and then carry out our original plan to make Jonathan Hart pay through the nose".


	3. Chapter 3

***Jennifer's Hotel***

Jennifer was researching Jack Hanson. She found several generic articles that described him as the happy CEO and the family man. But she also found a couple articles about him that weren't nice, and were very accusatory and damaging. They were about former clients who said he robbed them blind, instead of making them money like he promised them.

Jennifer picked up the phone and called Jonathan.

"Hello?"

"Hi darling. Listen, I need to ask you some questions".

"Yes, I wish I was touching you and kissing you".

"Jonathan, be serious. I wish that too, by the way".

"Good. Soon, darling. Soon".

"Darling, I found these articles about Jack Hanson, that said that he was the ultimate family man, and the greatest CEO, blah blah blah. But then, there are these articles where they interviewed former clients who said he fleeced them out of money. One of them said he betrayed the "West Coast Business Guarantee". What is that?"

"It was a business deal of sorts that all the major businesses agreed to abide by, that stated that if someone invested in your business, no matter what, they would be guaranteed that while they weren't promised to make money, they wouldn't lose money. So, let's say you gave my business 25,000 dollars. I might promise you that I could turn that into 250,000 dollars. Whether I do, or whether I don't, if you came to me and said you wanted out, I was to give you no less than what you put in. But if I had made you money, then I would give you what the terms of our deal said. So, in short, it was a thing that was supposed to make it to where the amount of money you got back was never allowed to be less than what you put in. And Hart Industries and almost everyone we do business with, and plenty of companies that we don't do business with, on the West Coast, abide by it. But Jack Hanson never does".

"Never?"

"He claims he does. But then he either backs out of the deal himself, or fleeces the other person and claims that he never promised to abide by that".

"I think I am beginning to understand the ruthless thing, darling".

"Jennifer, you more than likely haven't even begun to scratch the surface".

"What I don't understand is why he would want to hire someone to write an article about him for publication in his own magazine? I mean, he could write whatever and put it in there, he doesn't need me for that".

"I know. I have been trying to figure that out too. I have a bad feeling about this, but hopefully I am just being overly cautious. Most of the businessmen I know refuse to do business with him."

"Really? What kind of bad feeling?"

"Like he's trying to get back at me for a business deal, or for refusing to do a deal with him, and he's using you to do it."

"And you're serious about others refusing to do business with him?"

"Yeah. Darling, remember last month when we had that big meeting in San Francisco, and then 2 days later we had another one in San Diego?"

"Yes".

"Well, he was at the first one. So, we all just kind of played along. After he left, we had a second meeting in San Diego, without him".

"I see. Do you think he's aware of how nobody wants to do business with him?"

"Do I think he's aware? Yes. Do I think he gives a damn? Not a chance".

She had grown quiet.

"What's wrong, darling?"

"I am thinking about calling Marcia and telling her I can't do this. I don't have the foggiest idea of how I am supposed to write an article that's honest and truthful without exposing this side of him".

"If anyone can do it, it's you, darling".

"Thanks. If I had researched him beforehand, I would have backed out".

"I know. I didn't want to discourage you, but I know tons of info about him that is very unflattering".

"It's alright. I should have done my research."

They chatted a little longer and then hung up so they could go to bed.

She threw on some yoga pants and a tank top, and headed down to the lobby. She bought a prepaid postcard and quickly wrote a note to Jonathan and then stuck it in the mail.

***The next day***

Jennifer was up early. She was supposed to observe a meeting in the theater, and then spend the afternoon with Jack at his family home.

She got to the office precisely at 8. He had ordered in breakfast and had everything ready in the theater for them.

She took a bagel, and some fruit, and coffee and took a seat over off to the side.

The theater filled up fast, and they started the meeting right on time.

"Thanks everyone for coming. This is Jennifer Hart, she is a journalist who is shadowing me for a publication piece. She is just here to observe."

He explained to her that each of the people in the room had a client they were trying to sign. As soon as their business was concluded, they would leave the meeting.

She nodded.

One man stood up in the back, and waved to Jennifer. She smiled really big and waved back.

"How do you two know each other?"

"College. He was on the swim team at Stanford, and so was I".

"Oh? How good were you?"

"He won every heat he entered. I just got some exercise".

Jack laughed and started with the first client.

She watched him as he effortlessly moved through the meeting, connecting from one person to the next, getting them to sign document after document. Jack Hanson could sell a beautiful view to a blind man.

Just after the meeting ended, as everyone was filing out, there was one more linkup request.

Jennifer was gathering her things, and looked up and saw Jonathan's face on the screen.

"Hi darling!"

"Hi gorgeous!"

She turned to Jack.

"Jack, would you mind giving us a few minutes? I will come to your office as soon as we are finished".

"Sure. Just bring my laptop with you. See you in a few". He turned to the screen.

"Hello Jonathan. Great to see you again. Hell of a woman you got here".

"Thanks, Jack".

Jennifer shut the door when they were alone, and turned the volume down on the speakers, so they could have some privacy.

"I am so glad to see your face. I miss you so much".

"I miss you too. You're a sight for sore eyes. Listen, darling, Stanley did some digging. I think you will want to see this. I am sending it to the hotel for you by FedEx."

"Thank you."

"Sure."

"How did you know to link up?"

"I went to the website, and I signed up. Anyone can do it. As it turns out, there is a linkup theater right across the street from my office, so I just came over here and waited my turn".

"How sweet, darling."

"Any excuse to see you, Red. I love you, and it's killing me that you are so close to me but I can't get to you".

"I know. I keep thinking I could fly back and forth each day, but that's not feasible".

"Well, if everything goes well tomorrow, I should be there tomorrow night. I will let you know".

"How was your meeting this morning?"

"Fine. We settled on a few more terms, so we are closer to closing the deal. Hopefully, by the time I get to see you again, it will all be finished".

"I can't wait. I should probably get back to his office now, so we can go to his house. I am meeting his wife and kids today".

"Ok. I love you".

"I love you too, and I am so glad you linked up so we could see each other". She blew him a kiss, and then they disconnected.

She met Jack back in the office, and they gathered their things and headed to his home.

***Hanson residence***

Jennifer rode with Jack to his residence. He had a very comfortable car, a brand-new Toyota Sequoia. She was impressed by the views they saw on the way.

"So, you drive 40 minutes to work each day?"

"Yes. I kind of like it, the drive relaxes me, and I can strategize and get my thoughts together before work. We used to live in the city, but my wife wanted to raise our kids with a yard, and we found this place and fell in love with it".

"Are your children in prep school, or public school?"

"Neither. We homeschool them, so that they can travel with me when I have to go out of town. They get to see many places and enjoy many experiences that way, much more than they would if they were in traditional school".

They pulled up to the house and Jennifer could see why they loved it. It was just like when she had seen Willow Pond for the first time. Upscale, but private. Elegant but breathtaking. Quaint, but cute.

"What a lovely home".

"Thanks, we like it. 5 bedrooms, an office, a den, kitchen, and extra tv room, plus the girls have a loft upstairs that they use to hang out in and read and stuff, and we have a nice patio out back and a private boat dock. The neighborhood association doesn't regulate how many boat you can have as long as they can fit around your dock. And we have the cutest dog you have ever seen".

They parked and came inside.

"Jennifer, this is my wife Jessalyn, and these are our three daughters Calista, Jovie, and Mia".

"Hi, lovely to meet all of you".

She shook hands with all of them.

The daughters were giving her hugs and all talking to her at once.

"You are so pretty!"

"I love your red hair!"

"Ooh, you have the best jewelry".

Jennifer chuckled.

"Down girls". Jack turned to Jennifer.

"Sorry, we don't have a lot of houseguests".

"It's perfectly alright. They are precious".

All of a sudden, a big gray beast with long fur came running towards her full speed and jumped in her arms. She caught him and started petting him and letting him lick her face.

"Hi there, you sure are a cute thing!"

She knelt down to put him down and pet him.

"That's Max. He's the sweetest dog ever, but he's got a lot of energy".

"I knew a Max once, and like you, he was also the sweetest". She kissed the dog on the nose and gave him a belly rub.

"Mom, look! He's loving it!"

Jennifer looked up at Jessalyn. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no. It's just Max doesn't let us rub his belly, but he's letting you do it".

Jennifer chuckled.

"Hey Max".

"Well, let's give you a tour of the house and then maybe we can get the boat up and going".

The girls were excited so they took off to get ready for the boat.

Jessalyn showed Jennifer around, and she was very impressed by the expansive views they had of the water.

"What water is that?"

"Lake Washington".

"It is absolutely gorgeous.

"In the summer, it's a deep blue, kind of like it is now. But in the winter, it's more of a blue gray and really reflects the snow".

After their tour ended, they were waiting for everyone else to get ready.

"So, are you married, have kids?"

"I am married, yes. My husband I have been married almost 16 years. In fact, it will be 16 years in a couple weeks. We don't have any children".

Jack and Jessalyn's daughters came into the room then, catching the tail end of the conversation.

"You don't have any kids?"

"Nope, no kids".

"So, who do you blame when you run out of ice cream?"

"Blame? Why would I blame anyone?"

Jennifer was amused by this.

"You know, you want ice cream so you come to the freezer and it's all gone. Has to be someone's fault".

Jennifer laughed. "We rarely have ice cream in the house."

She pinched Mia's cheeks, and then Jessalyn showed her to the bathroom where she could change.

She emerged a few minutes later, in a simple tank top and athletic shorts, and water shoes.

She had put her hair up in a ponytail.

She removed her jewelry and put it in a little bag inside her purse.

Jack was in the bedroom, on the phone.

"So, she's been doing some digging, has she? Well, that's ok. This article won't ever be printed, that's for sure. Thanks for letting me know. I can't wait for Hart to figure out that the guy he hired to follow his wife actually works for me. Ok, gotta go". He hung up.


	4. Chapter 4

***Hanson residence***

Jack came out and grabbed himself a snack, and told the girls to pack a cooler of water bottles.

He offered Jennifer a snack but she declined.

He was being very affectionate with Jessalyn.

"Jack, what's gotten into you? You are never this loving".

"Just missed you all morning at the office, honey".

Jennifer figured he was putting on a show for her sake.

Jennifer spoke up.

"Do you guys have a lot of boat traffic?"

"Not usually. Some on the weekends, but our cove stays pretty quiet. This time of year, we are usually the only ones who take our boat out, during the weeks. We hardly ever see anyone out on the water, especially when it's chilly and rainy like it has been".

They were finally ready to get in the boat.

"Girls, why don't you take Ms. Jennifer outside and show her the backyard, before we go down to the boat?"

Mia grabbed her hand and led her out to the patio. The other girls followed.

They showed her their trampoline, and their swing-set, and Mia did a bunch of cartwheels for her. They had a fenced in backyard with a coded entry.

Jennifer took a seat on the bench by the swing set and Mia came and sat with her.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Certainly".

Jennifer leaned down and played along.

Mia whispered her in her ear.

"Our fence code is 1102. That's my birthday, and Daddy said I was his favorite so that's why he picked my birthday and not my sisters birthdays".

Jennifer chuckled and then smiled at Mia.

"November 2 is your birthday? That's a special day for me too. That's my birthday also".

Mia thought that was so cool.

Jack and Jessalyn were talking in the house.

"So, do you think she's going to find out what you really do at the office?"

"No, because I am going to take care of her today. You and I and the girls and her are going on the boat. I am going to pretend we need to take the big boat to the mechanic, and get her to go in the smaller boat. And when she's in there all alone, it will take care of itself."

"Jack, don't do this. Not in front of the girls".

"It will be ok, honey. Trust me".

Jack and Jessalyn came outside then, and Mia ran up to them.

"Mom, Daddy guess what? Ms. Jennifer and I have the same birthday!"

"That's awesome Peanut!"

Jessalyn smiled at Jennifer.

"I do believe you have a fan club".

"She is absolutely adorable, Mrs. Hanson."

"Please, call me Jessalyn".

Jennifer took the bag of towels from her, and the girls took the life jackets.

They walked down to the boat launch, and when they were all ready, he started it up and they slowly took off.

He anchored the boat a few feet from the house, and went to the back where the engine was.

"Damn! We might have to go back".

"What is it, honey?"

"The output from this motor engine isn't right. I tell you what, how about you drive this boat, and I will follow in the smaller one, and we can drop this one off at the boat mechanic up the way".

"I can't drive this boat, I never have".

"I can drive it, Jack. Jonathan and I have a couple boats".

"Great".

The girls all started talking and saying they wanted to ride in the boat with Daddy, so by the time it was all settled, Jennifer was driving the smaller boat up the lake, following them in the other one. She kept her eyes peeled on his engine, and she saw nothing out of the ordinary about it. Absolutely nothing. She was debating on whether or not she should say something when her boat died. Their boat went on ahead without her, none of them even realizing her boat had stalled.

She looked around. She was out in the middle of the lake. The absolute middle. No boats around. Jack's boat took a sharp left into a cove and disappeared out of sight.

She started the boat again, trying to get it going. About 10 seconds later, she was thrown from the boat into the waters of Lake Washington. The blast had been forceful enough to knock her about 40 feet. The boat had split into 2 pieces and then those two pieces had broken into several jagged pieces. She wasn't hurt, just sore. She bobbed up to the surface and surveyed the contents. Out of nowhere, she heard a boat coming, so she sank back down under the water. It was Jack's boat.

Jack pulled the boat to a stop, and then seeing that he saw no evidence of her anywhere, and the little boat was in pieces floating all around him, he turned the boat around and headed back out to pick up his family.

Jennifer bobbed to the surface and started swimming. She grabbed hold of one of the cushions from the boat and dragged it in with her, using it to float on when she got tired. After about a half hour, she made it to the shore.

She climbed out of the water at the public boat launch, and started walking.

She wasn't hurt, but she had a nice scrape on her knee and a massive headache.

She made it to the road and flagged down a car.

"Please, can you call me a taxi or something? I was in a boat, and it blew up out on the lake and I need to get back to my hotel".

The driver called a cab for her, and then drove off.

She sat on the side of the road waiting for the cab. About 10 minutes later, it showed up.

"Hi, I need to stop at a house about 4 blocks down the road, and then I need a ride to the Four Seasons hotel in Seattle".

She hopped in, and they pulled into the Hanson's driveway.

She snuck down the driveway and saw that their boat wasn't back yet.

She punched in the code on the gate, and ran up the steps to the patio door.

She quickly opened the sliding glass door, grabbed her bags, and went back to the cab.

About an hour later, she was back at her hotel.

She wanted a shower, food, and to talk to Jonathan.

***Hanson's residence***

They pulled the boat back up to their dock.

"Now remember girls, we aren't sure what happened to Mrs. Jennifer. That boat was old and there's no telling why it broke and exploded. She probably didn't know what she was doing, and how to really drive the boat".

They all nodded. They were used to his threats.

They came in the house and his business line rang.

He went to answer it.

"Oh, she did? Well thanks for letting me know. I will take care of it".

Jessalyn noticed that Jennifer's bag was missing. She chose not to bring it up.

***Four Seasons***

Jennifer stopped at the front desk, and claimed her package out of the mailbox for her room, before heading to her suite.

Jennifer took a shower, and got dressed.

She grabbed the phone and called Jonathan at the office. No answer.

She called him at the house. No answer. She waited for the answering machine to pick up.

"Hi darling, it's me. I just wanted to hear your voice, I guess and tell you I love you. I had an interesting day with Jack Hanson. He tried to kill me, darling. Can you believe that? I'm ok, I just have a horrible headache. I got the packet from the front desk. I am calling Marcia now, darling. I wish I had gotten you. I love you, Jonathan Charles. Forever. Muah".

She hung up.

She decided to order room service, so she placed her order and then started working on the article. She thought about calling Marcia, but then she decided to write the article first, send it to her, and see what she said about it.

She was busy typing her notes up and starting the article when the room service arrived.

She let them in, and started to eat.

A few bites in, and she was not impressed.

She finished the first draft. She uploaded it to her Dropbox account, and then decided to go to the deli and get a salad.

She locked her room, and was heading to the elevator, when a gloved hand clamped over her mouth from behind, and a blunt object struck her in the head to knock her out.

She was totally unconscious. She was carried down the stairs and into a car.

As the car drove along, a man was speaking on the phone.

"She's out like a light. Laying in the backseat. We are on our way".

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan came in the house and checked the messages. He listened to Jennifer's message, and then saved it.

He picked up the phone to call her back.

"I'm sorry sir, she isn't answering".

"Please tell her that her husband called".

"Will do".

He hung up, and went to the bar and fixed himself a drink.

He turned the tv on, and was listening to the news as he looked through the mail.

He was upset that his meeting had ran over and he wasn't going to be able to fly up tonight. He was hoping that she would understand when she called him back.

He took the envelopes that had the gardener's checks and the pool man's checks and clipped them on the clip outside the kitchen door.

As he came back into the living room, he heard the news.

"Breaking news: a boat explosion took place about an hour or so ago on Lake Washington, near where multi-millionaire businessman Jack Hanson lived. We have received footage from the coast guard camera, and it shows the boat exploding. Our sources indicate that Mr. Hanson, his wife and children and seasoned journalist Jennifer Hart were out on their boat. Mrs. Hart appeared to be driving a smaller boat behind the Hanson's boat. She can be seen fiddling with the engine after the boat dies, moments before it explodes. She leaves behind her husband, financier Jonathan Hart, of Los Angeles".

Jonathan stared at the television. He couldn't have just heard that. No, couldn't be. He would know if his wife was dead, and she wasn't dead. She wasn't dead because he would die too, that's just how it was.

He turned the channel. Another channel was saying the same thing. Jennifer Hart, boat explosion, no evidence that she survived.

He turned the channel again.

Third times a charm. The headline at the bottom of the television said "Jennifer Hart dies in boat explosion". He felt the room start spinning, and he had this weird numb sensation flowing through his body. Like he couldn't feel anything. Like nothing made sense anymore.

Jonathan sank down on the couch. He refused to believe it. He couldn't explain it, but somehow, he was stuck between living and dying all at the same time.


	5. Chapter 5

***Jennifer***

Jennifer was being held in a room in a house somewhere. It had a bed, and a bathroom, and a television. She was laying on the bed, and starting to wake up.

She had a massive headache. She could barely move, her head hurt so bad.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She had no idea where she was. She slowly realized that she had no idea about anything.

The door opened and a man appeared. She was instantly frightened.

She cowered back away from him.

"Relax, I am not going to hurt you. I was just bringing you a sandwich and some water".

He set the tray down, and then as he was leaving, he got a phone call.

He answered it and turned to look at her.

"Yes, she's awake. She looks alright, I guess. Isn't talking but she's awake. What do you want me to do with her after today? You're sure? Ok."

He hung up the phone.

"Guess what princess? You and I are going on a ride".

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan was numb. He was just going through the motions. He called Stanley as soon as he could collect himself and told him to make a statement to the press that nothing had been verified, and that there would be no further statements.

Stanley started researching, and called the marine police out of Lake Washington. They insisted that there was no way that Jennifer would have survived the boat blast, even though her body had as of yet not surfaced.

Jack Matthews, Jonathan and Jennifer's pilot, came and tried to help. But Jonathan pushed him away, preferring to be alone. In the old days, he would have had Max. But Max was gone now, and he had nobody.

He went and listened to her answering machine message again, and again, and again.

He set up a tape recorder and recorded it onto another tape so that he could listen to it as much as he wanted.

It was around the 7th or 8th time he had heard it, that he finally heard the part where she said "he tried to kill me today, darling".

He started to realize that she must have called him after the boat explosion.

He immediately called the Marine Police for Lake Washington and asked to review the footage.

"Sorry sir, but we only do that with a court order."

"Well, my wife was in the boat explosion yesterday, and I need to see if she can be seen swimming away from the explosion, afterwards".

"Sir, we have been all over that footage. It's impossible that she survived it. I am sorry".

He hung up in frustration.

He called the Four Seasons.

"Can you please tell me what time my wife returned to the hotel today?"

"We don't have that information sir. She picked up her package, but we don't know when that was".

"Can I please speak to the person who gave it to her?"

"Nobody gave it to her. We stuck it in her room mailbox and she was able to access it with her room key. But it doesn't record the time that it's accessed, it just has a light that turns off when the package is removed".

"Ok, thank you".

Jonathan hung up, and decided to fly up to Seattle and see what he could figure out.

He called Jack and told him to get the plane ready.

He walked over to the bar, and picked up the picture of him and Jennifer kissing.

"I'm coming Red. I am going to figure this out, I swear".

***Lake Washington***

Jessalyn and Jack Hanson were arguing. Their children could hear it from their bedrooms.

"You killed her, didn't you? How could you do that?"

"I had to! She was going to write an article about me that exposed everything! And I was trying to get her husband to pay!"

"How do you know she was going to expose everything?"

"My sources told me that someone was digging up information on me, and they traced the IP address. It led right back to her husband's company. I know him, Jessalyn. He knows exactly what I have been doing. It's not going to be long before he exposes us. So, I killed her to keep him quiet".

"Oh really, genius? Did you ever consider the fact that even though his wife is dead, nothing is keeping him from investigating you again and exposing you then?"

He hadn't considered that. She had a point.

"I will think of something, I always do".

"I won't live like this, Jack. I am so tired of your schemes and machinations. Our girls are walking on eggshells and so am I. I am so tired of it".

"You have two choices, Jessalyn. Do as I say, or leave, with nothing".

"I am also tired of your threats".

"Oh, and what are you going to do? You're nothing without me".

"Big words from a big man".

She turned to walk away from him, but he grabbed her hair and pulled her back, and threw her against the wall.

"NOBODY walks away from me, you slut!"

He backhanded her with enough force to send her to her knees, and split her lip.

He stalked out of their room and yelled behind him.

"I'm going fishing".

He went down to the dock, got in his boat and drove off down the lake.

***Jonathan***

Jonathan's plane landed and he immediately went to her hotel. He was given an extra key to her room, and saw that all of her stuff was there. She had gotten his package, and it was laying on the bed, with the pages all around.

He decided to go to Jack Hanson's, and surprise him.

He went and got in his rental car, and headed towards the office.

He came inside, and headed to the top floor.

"HI, I am Jonathan Hart, I would like to see Jack Hanson please".

"I'm sorry sir, he isn't here. I don't know when he will return".

"Can you call him? I really need to speak with him".

"Certainly".

She picked up the phone, and dialed his home number.

"Hi Calista, this is Danielle. Is your dad in?"

"No ma'am, he went fishing out on the boat".

"Ok thank you".

She hung up.

"I'm sorry, sir. He isn't home. I can have him call you when he comes in, I just don't know when that will be".

"That's ok. I will be back later to speak with him".

Jonathan left, and headed to the Marine Police station.

He was determined to get some answers.

***Lake Washington***

Jack Hanson parked his boat at the farthest point of the lake from his house.

A man walked down to the dock, carrying a body bag over his shoulder.

"She's in here. We had a deal".

Jack pulled out his wallet, and handed the man $2000.

He unloaded the body bag on the boat, and walked away.

Jack took off for the middle of the lake, and then, just after sunset when there weren't any boats around, he dumped the body bag off the boat, and then drove away.

***Jennifer***

Jennifer was in a car being driven somewhere. The driver was a very large man, with lots of knuckle tattoos.

He looked at her in the rearview mirror.

"I saved your life princess. Boss man wanted me to kill you, but I decided to let you live, take his money, and not spend the rest of my life in jail. He killed one of his secretaries last week, and asked me to dispose of her, so I put her on ice, and now he thinks he is dumping you, but he's really dumping her. Good thing she had a similar ankle bracelet like yours, huh? Don't worry, I am not going to kill you. You look like a nice lady with a family. So, I am going to let you out at a hospital where you can be reunited with your family".

She didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say.

"Hey, did you hear me? I said I saved your life. Ain't you gonna say thank you or nothing?"

Silence. Jennifer just stared at him. She was trying to comprehend what he was saying, but she couldn't process the information. Nothing he was saying made sense to her.

She stared out the window, as they drove along. She closed her eyes for a little bit and fell asleep.

She wasn't awake for the crash, as their car collided with a semi-truck on the interstate. She didn't hear the twisting of metal, or feel the impact of the crash. She never woke up for any of it.

The truck driver was killed on impact. It took about an hour for someone to come along and call for help. The driver of the car was unconscious and so was Jennifer. About 3 hours later, she was taken to the nearest hospital, in Tacoma, Washington.

She was breathing, and had a heartbeat, but hadn't regained consciousness.

They did full body Xrays, and a head CT and a full body MRI, just to see what they were dealing with. She had a very small amount of brain swelling, which is normal with car accidents. There was a nice size lump on the back of her head.

They gave her an IV, and started her on nutrition.

She was named Scarlett, by the nurses, because of her red hair.

***Jonathan***

Jonathan spent the night in Jennifer's hotel room.

He booted up her laptop, figured out her password, and found her article. He read it and was so proud of her. She mentioned the accusations, but without accusing him of anything. She stated that he had been accused of these things but that he hadn't responded to the accusations at all.

Her purse was there, but there wasn't any cash in her wallet. He knew she always carried cash in her wallet.

This didn't make sense. They were saying that she died in the boat explosion. But her stuff was at the hotel.

He called the Marine Police from her hotel phone.

"Hi, my name is Jonathan Hart, and I am the husband of the woman that you guys say died in a boat explosion on Lake Washington yesterday."

"Yes sir, how can we help you?"

"I have a few questions. First, I am in her hotel room, and all of her things are here. How can her purse be here if she died on the lake? Only thing missing from her wallet is cash. Her license and all that is still here. Her bathing suit is here in the hotel. There are some clothes that she hung up in the bathroom, I can only assume that she did so because they were wet."

"Sir, we are experts. I am telling you, there is no way that anyone could have survived that explosion. I know it's hard to believe, but it's just not possible that she survived".

"Then why can't I see the footage?"

"We don't release footage without a court order".

Jonathan argued everything he could think of.

Finally, he let out a long sigh.

"Look, this is my wife. She doesn't have any family left, I don't have any family either. All we have is each other. If it was your wife, what would you do?"

"I would accept the fact that she is gone, and bury her and honor her every day, sir. I would give her the service that she deserved, and make sure that everyone at the service knew how much I loved her".

"Well, I would rather prove that she survived the blast, until I feel it in my bones that she's gone."

He hung up, defeated.

He slept fitfully, his mind racing on where he should look for answers. He just wasn't able to accept that she was dead yet.

***Thursday Morning***

He was up bright and early to go to Jack Hanson's office.

He called to see if he was in, and Danielle told him that Mr. Hanson wouldn't be in at all that day.

He called the Marine Police and asked if there had been any further developments.

"No sir, there haven't been".

"Ok, please call me here at this number if anything develops further".

They hung up and he called Marcia, and told her that Jennifer had uploaded the article to her Dropbox account.

"Jonathan, I am so sorry for your loss. In light of what's happened, I don't think we are going to move forward with publishing the article".

"I understand".

They hung up, and he called Stanley for an update.

"I don't know what else to do. The marine police won't let me see the footage. Jack Hanson isn't in the office, I can't get close to him to ask him anything, and she's not been back to her hotel room".

"Sir, I don't have any ideas for you either. I am sorry, sir".

"Yeah, thanks Stanley".

About 20 minutes later, the phone rang. He picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Jonathan Hart, please".

"Speaking".

"This is Detective Lawrence with the Marine Police. We just recovered a body that we believe to be your wife's. 5'10, 125 pounds, striking red hair, fair skin".

"Where did you find her?"

"In Lake Washington. We will transfer her to the Davis Funeral home in Seattle, and you can go there to identify her".

"Thank you".

They hung up.

He didn't feel the tears coming, or the rage building up, but it happened. He cleared everything off the bed, and resisted the urge to slam the door or punch the wall.

There was a knock at the door, and he got up and opened it without looking to see who it was.

"Jonathan, buddy…. Come on. Don't do this".

"We need to go to the funeral home. They found a body in Lake Washington, and they want me to identify it."

"Ok, let's go".

Jack guided Jonathan to the elevators, and then drove him to the funeral home.

They had to wait about an hour, for her to get there.

They were called back, and led into a room.

"Her face isn't recognizable, unfortunately. However, there are few marks on her body that we think might be recognizable".

Jonathan nodded.

He could see red hair sticking out from under the sheet.

They showed him a mole on her ribcage.

"Do you recognize that?"

"Not really".

They moved to her thigh.

"There is a small red mole on the back of her thigh. Do you recognize that?"

"Yes".

"And the final mark, is this birthmark on the top of her foot".

They pulled the sheet back to show him, but he wasn't looking at her foot. He was looking at her ankle.

The gold and opal ankle bracelet that he had given her two years ago for their anniversary was on her ankle.

"I gave her that ankle bracelet. I am afraid, this is my wife".

He almost collapsed, saying the words.

Jack held him up, and led him out to the waiting room and sat him in a chair.

"We would like to fly the body back to Los Angeles. We can be ready as soon as the body's ready".

"We charge $500 for the casket that the body is flown in".

Jack handed them a credit card, and then turned his focus to Jonathan.

He had never seen him like this, and didn't know how to help him.

He walked over and borrowed their phone, and called the pilot's agency that he flew for.

"I need a second pilot that can fly with me from Seattle to LA".

They made arrangements for the second pilot to meet them at LAX at 4.

He signed the credit card receipt, and then led Jonathan out of the funeral home and to the car.

They drove back to the Four Seasons, and Jonathan sat in a chair, looking at her picture while Jack packed up everything.

He got Jonathan to the car, and then drove them to LAX.

***LAX***

The second pilot was waiting for them on the tarmac.

"Hi, I am Chris. I am flying with you guys today".

"Hi, I am Jack. I'm the other pilot. This is Jonathan Hart, our passenger. Let me get him settled and I will explain everything."

Jonathan and Jack climbed the stairs to the plane, and Jonathan took a seat.

"Do you want a drink, Jonathan?"

"No".

"I am going to the cockpit, I will be right back".

"ok".

Jack went up to the cockpit, filled Chris in, and then came back to sit with Jonathan.

The funeral home brought the body, and Jack went down and signed the paperwork and watched as they loaded it into the cargo of the plane.

He came back and sat with Jonathan again.

"Buddy, do you want to be alone, or do you want me to stay with you?"

"Alone, I guess".

"Ok. I will be up front if you need me".

He headed up front with Chris. He stuck his head out every hour to check on Jonathan. He hadn't moved, he was still sitting there staring at her picture.

They landed in Los Angeles, and Jack called Westy's funeral home and had them come get the body.

He thanked Chris for flying with him, and drove Jonathan to Willow Pond.

Jonathan told him thank you, and went upstairs.

"You can leave her bags right there. I will deal with them later. Thanks for all your help".

Jack closed the door and left.

Jonathan came into their bedroom. He grabbed her pillow and smelled it, and then went to her closet and smelled her clothes there too. He came back to the bed and sank down on to it, before sliding off the bed onto the floor, his body wracking with sobs.

***Jennifer***

Scarlett, as the nurses called her, was still unconscious.

The hospital had a wing for people who were still in need of care, but came in with no family and no ID. She was moved there, and given a room.

Her nurse, Aynsley, checked her vitals and plumped her pillows.

"You sure are a pretty lady, Scarlett, I know your family is missing you. Hope they come to tell us who you are and how you got here".


	6. Chapter 6

***One month later***

Jonathan had somehow learned to exist, day to day. He had suffered through her service, which he didn't want to have, and only did because so many of her friends were begging him to.

He came home the day of the service and was looking through the mail. Her postcard arrived. The front of the postcard had the most beautiful picture of the sunset over Lake Washington.

"Darling- I miss you so much. I can't wait to grab you and kiss you, and see your handsome face. You will forever be my always. Love- Me.

P.S.- Wish you were here".

The postcard had an eerie sentiment about it. He had put that card away in a drawer, so he wouldn't have to look at it. He didn't want to see it, but he didn't want to throw it away, either.

One weeks later, he ran out of the stuff she made for his coffee. That felt like losing her all over again.

Susan Kendall called him several times, and offered to come bring him dinners. He declined each time. Marcy called and offered to clear out her things, but he flat out refused. He started sleeping in the guest room or on the couch, he just couldn't bear to sleep in their bed again.

***Two months later***

Two months after her funeral, her headstone came in. He went and visited and took her some flowers. He was looking at the tombstone, and rubbing his fingers over her name.

He had chosen a beautiful grey marble headstone, that said "Jennifer Suzanne Edwards Hart. Beloved wife, daughter, journalist."

He couldn't bear to put the date of her death on the tombstone. That would make it final. He wasn't ready for final.

***Jennifer***

She still hadn't woken up. The nutrition was keeping her alive, and the physical therapist was doing exercises to keep her muscles working. They had given her a vibrating bed to prevent bed sores. The swelling had gone away, so as soon as her brain finished healing itself, she would wake up.

***3 months later***

Jonathan was back at work. He was just going through the motions, though. He needed the distractions of working, but going home hit him like a ton of bricks. Every night, he was alone.

One day, he was at the office. The washer machine flooded the floor of the laundry room, and the dryer caught fire to the wall of the laundry room. The housekeeper called him at the office, and he came home as fast as he could. The damage wasn't too terribly bad, she had thankfully grabbed the fire extinguisher and put it out before it spread too far. But the laundry room would have to be remodeled.

As a silent tribute of sorts to Jennifer, he added the laundry chute to the renovations. If only she was here to see it.

He grabbed a calendar. He couldn't believe what was coming up. Her birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's. And he was going to have to do all of it without her.

He was in his office one day towards the end of the month, when Stanley came in.

"Mr. Hart, I wanted to speak to you about something. My sister called last night, and told me that she would be here starting November 1st and she will be staying through the end of January. And well, I was wondering if you would like to meet her. She is really interested in meeting you".

"I would be honored to meet your sister, Stanley".

"Great! She loves dinners out, movies, walks on the beach, things like that. Her favorite flowers are tulips, and her favorite food is pasta".

"Stanley, I said I would meet her. I didn't say I would date her".

"I'm sorry sir, I thought you knew that's what I meant by her being interested in meeting you".

"Stanley, Jennifer is still my wife. I am not going to betray her like that. For any reason".

"Sir, with all due respect, Mrs. Hart is gone, and she's not coming back".

His voice was low and steady.

"Get out, Stanley. Don't you EVER say that about my wife again! GET OUT!" He pointed to the door as he shouted.

"I'm sorry, sir", Stanley mumbled as he headed out of the office.

Jonathan didn't say a word to anyone. He just stood up, got his keys, and left for the day.

***November***

Jonathan woke up on November 2nd. Today was Jennifer's birthday.

He lit a candle, and grabbed a photo of Jennifer, one of his favorite headshots that she had done when she posed for the White Fury campaign, and held it for a long, long time.

After about an hour of staring at her photo, he kissed it, and whispered, "Happy Birthday, my darling".

A week later, the Marine Police officially closed the investigation into her death, citing "mechanical error" as the reason for the explosion. Jack Hanson released a statement to the press, stating that he sent his condolences to Jonathan, and that he felt privileged at having had the chance to meet Jennifer.

Jonathan felt sick to his stomach. Jack Hanson was hiding something, he just knew it.

He still hadn't given a statement to the press about Jennifer, or granted an interview about her, despite repeated requests.

It was the middle of November, when he had a board meeting that he couldn't postpone any longer.

Stanley was going to be sitting in for one of the board members. It was the first time they had been in direct contact since their falling out.

The meeting went well, and everyone was impressed with his push-through attitude.

When the meeting finished, everyone stood up to leave, and Jonathan called out for Stanley to stay.

"Yes sir?"

He waited till it was just the two of them in the conference room.

"I wanted to say that I apologize for blowing up at you a few weeks ago. This has been harder than I thought, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you".

"Thank you. No hard feelings, sir".

They shook hands and then got back to work. He felt good about apologizing.

He was invited to spend Thanksgiving with several people, but he declined every offer. He just wanted to be alone.

Susan Kendall sent a full meal that she had ordered for him on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.

He got home just as Patsy, the housekeeper was about to leave.

"Hello Mr. Hart. Thank you for letting me switch days this week. I appreciate it".

"No problem. Happy Thanksgiving".

"Happy Thanksgiving to you also. Listen, there was a delivery of a thanksgiving meal that came about an hour ago. You have three trays of food, and I put it all in the fridge. Instructions are taped to the top of each tray".

"Thank you, Patsy". He patted her arm as he walked past her and went upstairs.

***Jennifer***

Jennifer was still sleeping, and still holding her own. The nurses decided to start playing music for her, or the TV, so that she would have some auditory stimulation. They talked to her each time they were in her room, telling her what they were doing. They opened the blinds so that she could feel sunlight, and closed them at night to make the room dark.

***December***

Jonathan didn't even buy a Christmas tree, or any presents for anyone. He had no reason to celebrate the holiday. He thought about taking off to somewhere till after Christmas was over, but he couldn't think of a place that didn't celebrate Christmas. Jennifer absolutely loved Christmas, almost as much as he did. Just seeing decorations and trees would make him think of her. He missed her so much he physically ached. He wished he could go back in time and hold her again, kiss her again, tell her he loved her, hear her laugh. Seeing her beautiful smile would be icing on the cake, for sure.

He went to the guest room closet one night, to look for their photo albums from when they were dating and engaged. She had made the albums a few years back.

He reached up into the closet to get it, and a wrapped present fell out and almost hit him on the head. He caught it just in time.

He turned it over, and saw the label.  
"To Jonathan, Love, Me."

He opened it, and saw that she had gotten him a new Dodgers baseball cap. There was a handwritten note in there also.

"Darling- I am also buying you season tickets to the Dodgers, right behind home plate when they go on sale. I love you, forever and always. Love, Jennifer".

Jonathan sat down on the guest bed and cried.

"Come back to me, Red. Whatever it takes, just come back to me".

***January***

Jonathan had gone to the cabin for New Years. He didn't want to be invited to anyone's party and he had no interest in seeing the ball drop. He just wanted to get through the day.

6 months to the day that Jennifer had left for Seattle, Jonathan received a letter in the mail at Hart Industries, marked "Private and Personal". It had been sent priority mail, no return address.

He opened it up, and read the contents.

"My husband was involved in your wife's death. He forced me and our daughters to go along with his plan, and he has been forcing our silence ever since. I would like to speak with you, but cannot do it when he is around. He is gone from the house Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 9-4, call then. 206.884.4848. Ask for Jessalyn."

He looked at the clock. It was almost 1.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number, hoping that he was strong enough for the conversation.

"Hello?"

"May I speak to Jessalyn?"

"This is she".

"This is Jonathan Hart, I received your letter".

"Yes, thank you for calling. I feel like you should know the truth."

"I appreciate that. What can you tell me?"

"Your wife was brought to our house by my husband, and she was such a lovely lady. Our daughters loved her from the minute she got here. We don't get a lot of visitors, so they were very excited. He wanted to show her Lake Washington, so she changed clothes and then we all went out on the boat. A few minutes after leaving our house, my husband insisted that we return because the boat wasn't acting right. He asked me to drive the boat while he followed in the small one, and said we would take the boat to the mechanic who lives down the lake from us. I told him I don't know how to drive a boat, which he knew. So, Jennifer volunteered and he told her she could follow us in the small one. About 10 minutes after we left, her boat stopped and he yelled at us to not turn around. We heard the explosion, and he drove on for about 10 more minutes and then he dropped us off on an island and he turned the boat around. Not seeing her body anywhere, he drove on back to pick us up, and then he made us stay out on the boat for a couple hours. He threatened us to never tell anyone what had happened. We came inside, and he immediately took a business call in his office, talking about a plan and them switching to the next plan. And while he was on the phone, I noticed that her bag was gone. I don't think your wife died in that explosion, Mr. Hart. I think she survived, and came to our house and got her stuff before we got back, and then, I think my husband killed her and dumped her in the lake that night when he went fishing".

"Thank you. Do you have any proof that he dumped her?"

"No, just a gut feeling".

"Look, I am not telling you what to do, but your husband is a dangerous man. Surely you know that. He steals money from his clients, he attacks his employees, vandalizes their property, steals their ideas, and you and I both think he killed my wife. However, unfortunately, we are the only ones who think so. So, if you are smart, you will leave him. I can help you by flying you here and putting you and your girls up in my corporate apartment if you would like, but if I do that, you must be willing to testify against him in court if this ever goes to trial, if we can ever prove anything on him".

"I can't do that. He would find me and kill me".

"Ok well if you change your mind, let me know. Thank you for calling me".

Jonathan hung up, frustrated. Hearing the details made him feel like his chest was being ripped open. Whether or not she survived the explosion, he didn't want to think about her being in pain. And seeing as how he had identified her body in the funeral home, he knew that she hadn't survived.

He sat there and thought about it for a while. Maybe he could force his hand, and force an investigation into his business practices. That might force them to investigate everything about him, which might lead them to the truth.

All he wanted was for Jack to admit to it. He didn't care what happened to him after that.

Jonathan buzzed Deanne and asked her to send Stanley in.

Stanley came in a few minutes later.

"Remember when I had you dig up the stuff on Jack Hanson for Jennifer?"

"Yes sir."

"I need you to do it again. I want all of his business practices that you can find. And I want you to highlight what is illegal and what isn't".

"Yes sir, right away".

About 4 hours later, Stanley came in, and had a stack of paper with him.

He explained it all to Jonathan.

"He brings you in, and promises to make you rich. But he takes your money and deposits it into an account that automatically transfers ½ the balance every 7 days to an account in a different bank, that has his initials on it, and his wife's name. He never invests the money in the places that he claims to, but why would he? He owns all the companies that he claims to invest in. They are all shell companies for his main company. He also has his 9-year old daughter listed on 4 companies as the primary stockholder. In fact, all of his children are under the age of 18, but according to the state of Washington, they own multiple properties, bank accounts and companies and hold multiple positions within the companies. The boat that blew up Mrs. Hart was registered to Jessalyn Hanson. Also, his secretary, Mariella Parker, accused him of sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and blackmail, about 7 months ago. She has been missing since about 2 weeks after she filed the lawsuit against him. She has never been found. About 4 months ago, even though she is still missing, she was mysteriously named to the Board of Directors of one of the Shell Companies".

"Do you have a picture of her?"

"Yes sir. I must say, she bears a striking resemblance to Mrs. Hart".

He handed her picture over, and Jonathan agreed with Stanley. She did look a lot like Jennifer.

"Thanks Stanley. I think it might be time to call the SEC".

Jonathan picked up the phone and dialed the number and asked for an appointment.

The SEC agreed to speak with him tomorrow at 10.

He hung up, thought for a second, and called Lt. Grey.

"Lt., I need a favor. I want to exhume Jennifer's body. I will pay whatever, I just need you to get me a permit so it's legal".

"Sure Jonathan. I will pull some strings and call you back".

He told Deanne that he was headed home, and that he would see her tomorrow.

He drove home, dreading the silence of their home the entire way.

***A week later***

Lt. Grey had finally been able to secure a permit for Jonathan to exhume Jennifer.

Jonathan called a company that dug ditches and trenches and paid them to exhume her.

He was going to use his lab plus an independent one to take the DNA test of her body.

He called her dentist and got a copy of her dental records to use to match them.

It was all going to happen in the next few days. He would have answers in the next few days.

***Jennifer***

Aynsley was in Scarlett's room, checking her vitals, refilling her IV, and plumping her pillows. The physical therapist had been in to do stretches and exercises with her, to try and keep her muscles taut.

The nurses had discovered that if they played old music, she liked that better and seemed to relax more than if they played newer music. They noted in her chart that if "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" came on the radio, her heart rate would really increase.

They couldn't explain it, other than to say it was her favorite for some reason.

Aynsley was refilling her IV, when that song came on the radio. She was looking at Scarlett's chart.

"You've been here almost 7 months. Surely, you have a family out there somewhere".

She noted that her heart rated increased again, and then put the chart down.

She went over to plump her pillows and noticed that there were tears coming out of Scarlett's eyes.

She picked up Scarlett's hand and held it, rubbing her thumb over the back of her hand.

"Can you hear me, Scarlett? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me".

Nothing.

"Must just be a reflex".

Aynsley left the room.

Jennifer laid there a little longer, still with her eyes closed, and slowly mouthed the word "Jennifer".

***2 days later***

Jonathan took Friday off. He wanted to be there when they exhumed Jennifer, no matter how long it took.

After about 3 hours, they had her casket out of the ground and loaded into the hearse so that she could be unsealed and they could see if it really was Jennifer. Lt. Grey explained that this part could take about 4 days, so he was going to have to be patient.

He understood. He patted the coffin, and then headed back home.

He called the SEC for an update and they told him they were close to finishing their preliminary investigation, and that they would know more in about 4 days.

He was home, and had just taken a shower and was going to fix himself something to eat, when the phone rang. It was Jack.

"Hey, just calling to see if you wanted to grab dinner with me?"

"Sure. Name the place".

"Burger Shack, 30 minutes?"

"See you there".

He went and changed clothes and then left to meet Jack.

***Burger Shack***

Jonathan grabbed them a table, and Jack came in about 10 minutes later.

"Hey, long time no see".

"Hey yourself. How you been?"

"Day to day. You know how it is".

"You look good, Jonathan".

"Thanks."

They ordered, and then talked small talk for a little bit, before Jack bit the bullet.

"Look, Jonathan, I wanted to tell you- I got another job flying for someone. You haven't flown since Jennifer died, and I can't sit around, blowing through my savings much longer. I hope you understand".

Jonathan nodded.

"I do. It's just, I have nowhere to go without her by my side. It's not that I didn't want to fly with you or anything".

"I know that. And if I didn't have to eat, I wouldn't care. And this isn't going to change anything. If you need me, call me and I will come and fly you. I am just maybe not going to be as readily available, because this job is based out of Portland".

"No hard feelings, Jack. Honest".

They shook hands, and then Jonathan paid the bill.

They walked out together.

"Thank you, Jonathan, for giving me a chance all those years ago".

"Thank you for flying me and my sweetheart wherever she wanted to go safely and quickly. If you ever need a reference, call me".

Jonathan hugged him, and then they parted ways.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan came into the house, and turned the TV on.

He touched Jennifer's face on her picture.

"Breaking News: the SEC raided the offices and the home of PremierWealth LLC CEO Jack Hanson about 2 hours ago. Jack is out of town in Chicago on business, and wasn't notified that this was taking place until after it had begun. No word on what they are looking for, but footage shows the employees of his company being led out of the building, with only their personal effects being taken with them, and also his family being led out of their home with overnight bags, as the house is secured. This might be related to accusations made by former clients who say he stole their money from them, and former employees who say he sexually harassed them and blackmailed them. Again, we don't know why they raided him, or what they are looking for, we will update as soon as possible".

The phone rang and Jonathan ran to get it.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Hart, this is Jessalyn Hanson. Is that offer you extended to me and my girls still available?"

"Absolutely".

He called Jack, made the arrangements for him to fly up and get them, and told him he would meet them at the airport.

He hung up the phone and then looked at the picture of Jennifer, from when they were in Mexico.

"One step closer, Red. One step closer".


	7. Chapter 7

***Jennifer***

Jennifer was lying the bed, and the physical therapist, Wendy came in to do her stretches and exercises.

"Hello Ms. Scarlett, you sure look pretty today".

Wendy began to move and stretch Jennifer's legs, and she was checking her vitals as she did it.

She looked over at Scarlett, and saw her eyes pop open.

"Hi there. You sure do have pretty eyes".

She hit the button for the nurse.

When Aynsley came in, she was surprised to see Scarlett's eyes open.

She ran and got the doctor, and they came to examine her.

"Hi, I am Dr. Miller. Can you hear me?"

Jennifer nodded yes.

"I am going to examine you now. Let's see if you can follow this light with your eyes".

She did very well, and they moved on to pain stimuli.

She felt all of them.

"Before you speak, we want you to take it slow. Let's drink some water first, ok?"

Jennifer nodded.

Aynsley got her some water with a straw and she sucked it down pretty good.

"Does it hurt to swallow?"

She shook her head no.

"Ok, let's try talking. Can you say the word yes?"

"Yes". It came out like a breathy whisper.

The doctor pulled up a chair and sat by Jennifer.

"Do you know your name?"

"Jennifer".

"Jennifer. That's a pretty name. Do you have a last name?"

"Hart".

"Jennifer Heart. Ok".

"Is there anything you want to ask me?"

She nodded.

"Where am I?"

"You are at Hope Presbyterian Hospital in Tacoma Washington. You have been in a coma for about 7 months".

She didn't know how to respond to that.

"Jonathan".

"Who is Jonathan?"

"Husband".

"We don't know anything about him".

"Food".

"You aren't ready for solid food, yet. You have been fed through an IV so that you wouldn't lose nutrition, but let's see how you do keeping the water down, ok? Baby steps".

She nodded.

"Phone".

"Sure, you can use the phone. Until your voice comes back, why don't we dial the number for you?"

She nodded.

"Who do you want us to call?"

"Jonathan".

"Why don't you try writing the number down?"

They gave her a pad and pencil, and she tried really hard to write the numbers, but she couldn't make her hand cooperate.

"It's ok. You have been asleep for 7 months, dear. How about this? Why don't you point to the numbers on the phone and we will write them down for you?"

She nodded.

Pretty soon, they had Jennifer and Jonathan's phone number written down.

They called it, but kept getting a busy signal.

"No answer, we will try again later".

Jennifer nodded.

"Get some rest, ok? And here is the nurses button if you need me".

She nodded, and laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.

***Jonathan***

A wicked storm was hitting Los Angeles. The phones were out, and as a result, Jack hadn't been able to fly up to Seattle to get the Hanson's.

Jonathan had managed to get them a hotel in Seattle where they wouldn't be found just before he lost phone service.

Jack planned on waiting a couple hours and then trying again.

Jonathan fell asleep on the couch, and woke up around 11. The storm was over and the phone was ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Aynsley, and I work at Hope Presbyterian Hospital in Tacoma".

"Hi, how can I help you?"

"We have a patient here, who asked us to call you".

"Ok."

"She isn't able to speak right now, but she says her name is Jennifer".

"Jennifer? Did she say what her last name was?"

"Heart. H-E-A-R-T".

"Oh, I'm sorry, my last name is H-A-R-T. I think you have the wrong number".

"Ok, sorry to bother you".

"No bother".

They hung up, and Jonathan went right back to sleep, and slept all night.

***Next morning***

The phone rang just as Jonathan was about to leave. It was Lt. Grey.

"Jonathan, I was calling to tell you that the results of the exhumation were inconclusive. There is no concrete evidence that the body is your wife's, but there isn't any concrete evidence that she isn't, either. And there is overwhelming circumstantial evidence that she possibly is your wife".

"Thanks for trying, Lt."

"I'm sorry, Jonathan. I know you were hoping for a homerun".

"Thanks". He hung up.

He headed out the door and went to meet the Hanson's at LAX. They had finally been able to leave early this morning.

He picked them up like they promised, and then drove them to the corporate apartment.

"I have security, who is going to stay with you at all times. I have a car service that you can call and will take you wherever you want to go. If there is anything else you need, please let me know".

They thanked him profusely, and he helped them take their bags inside.

"Mr. Hart, can I tell you something?"

"Sure".

"Your wife came to our house. And well, we only got to see her for like, an hour, but she was soooooooooooooooooo nice! And sooooooooooo pretty! She and I have the same birthday, too. I wish we had gotten to see her for more than an hour. I would really like another hour with her".

"Me too, kiddo. Me too".

***Jennifer***

Jennifer was restless. She was ready to get out of the bed, and take care of herself again.

She pulled the covers back, and swung her legs over the side.

She went to stand up, and her legs shot out from under her, as soon as she put weight on them.

Aynsley just so happened to be coming in to help her, and got to her just in time to catch her.

"Whoa, sweetheart. You aren't ready for walking yet. Back in bed. That's it".

They got her all settled again.

"Where were you going?"

"Out of the bed is all I know".

"You haven't used your muscles in months, ma'am. You are going to have to work your way up to that again. Baby steps, baby steps".

She nodded.

Aynsley left and Jennifer grabbed the phone again.

She dialed Jonathan's office number.

"Hello?"

"Jonathan".

"Hello?"

"Jonathan". She couldn't make her voice any louder.

Thinking nobody was there, he hung up.

Jennifer blew him a kiss, and hung up too, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

***Jonathan***

Jonathan had just put the phone back in the cradle and leaned over to grab the TV remote.

He turned the TV on, and then started focusing again on the reports in front of him.

He looked at the date, and realized that it had been 8 months since Jennifer had died.

8 months since the light had grown dimmer, and 8 months since he had felt complete.

He tried not to dwell on it and focus on his reports again.

A few minutes later, Stanley came in.

"Mr. Hart, Mr. Hanson is giving a press conference in ten minutes. Channel 124"

"Thanks". He turned the channel and saw that he was getting ready to speak to the press.

He turned the volume up, and got up and made himself a drink.

"The investigation launched by the SEC into my business practices is all because people are jealous of me and instead of trying to build their business like I did, they just want to attack me. Jonathan Hart's wife wanted to be on my boat with me instead of anywhere with him, and because he can't handle that, he called the SEC on me. My wife and kids left our home because of this mess. I'm not worried, I know they will come back in due time. PremierWealth LLC, isn't going anywhere. And while I am at it, I want to thank the head of the Marine Police of Lake Washington, Capt. Wade Bowers- he and I were roommates in college, and he's just an all around good guy. I appreciate everything he's done for me. I am confident that this SEC thing will blow over and my life will go back to normal very soon. Business as usual at PremierWealth, LLC. To my wife and girls if they are watching, I love you and I miss you, please come home soon. Thank you, that's all I have to say. No questions".

Jonathan took his glass and threw it against the wall, shattering the glass everywhere.

***Jennifer***

Jennifer was practicing talking louder. It was slowly happening.

She was going to practice walking with the physical therapist today, when she came by.

She was slowly making progress. She had been able to keep down beef broth, and the doctor said she would let her try jello today, and maybe ice cream.

They came and put the crane scale under Jennifer to weigh her. She had lost 20 pounds. Her hair was longer and in bad need of a cut.

She didn't care about any of that, though, she just wanted Jonathan.

She wanted their life back. She wanted his arms around her. And his lips on hers. Those lips….

She was determined to do as much as she could during therapy. She took 48 steps in therapy, 4 unassisted. She hit therapy so hard, that she basically passed out when she got back.

After a 3-hour nap, she woke up hungry.

She cleared her throat and drank some water, and hit the button for the nurse.

They brought her some Jello, and more water, and vanilla ice cream.

"Thank you".

Her voice was almost back to normal.

She smiled a huge smile and began to eat.

She scarfed down the Jello, and then began to work on the ice cream.

She was only able to eat about ½ of the ice cream, but she tolerated it well and was pleased with herself.

She laid back on the bed and turned the TV on.

She got lost in a movie, and fell asleep again, dreaming of Jonathan.

***The next day***

Jonathan was in his office, and had a wild hair. He buzzed for Stanley to come in.

"Can you search all the hospitals in the Washington area, and just see if anyone matches Jennifer's description?"

"Sure, right away".

About an hour later, Jonathan's phone rang.

"Hi, this is Agent Weston with the SEC. I wanted you to know that we have concluded our investigation and charges will be forthcoming. Also, we contacted a business associate of Mr. Hanson's who we suspect has helped him carry out these crimes. If our suspicions are correct, he is responsible for putting the bomb on the boat that your wife was on. He is being questioned now, and we will call you this afternoon with an update."

"Thank you. When you say charges are forthcoming, what kind of timeframe are you talking about?"

"I expect him to be formally charged within the hour".

"Thank you. I look forward to your return call".

They hung up, and he got back to work.

Within two hours, Stanley was back.

"Sir, there is a lady that physically matches Mrs. Hart's description in a hospital in Tacoma. But she spells her name H-E-A-R-T, instead of H-A-R-T".

"Hmm… Maybe we should go check it out just to be safe. Thanks, Stanley".

He called Jack.

"Are you still in Los Angeles?"

"Yes."

"Care to fly me to Tacoma?"

"Sure. We can be wheels up in two hours".

"Perfect".

They hung up and he went and told Deanne that he was headed out of town and to forward his calls to the airplane.

"Once I know if I am staying in Washington, I will call you with the number".

"Have a safe trip, Mr. Hart".

"Thanks. Stanley's in charge".

He left, and headed home to Willow Pond. He quickly packed himself a bag, and one for Jennifer, just in case and then headed to LAX.

They landed in Tacoma in just under 3 hours.

He rented a car, and headed to the hospital.

***Jennifer***

Jennifer woke up, and asked the nurse to let her try eating eggs. They agreed, and she managed a few bites. She also had some yogurt, which she ate all of.

"Aynsley, I need to go to the bathroom. But can you let me try it alone?"

"Sure. I will be right here to catch you if you fall".

She swung her legs up and over the side of the bed. She stood up and waited to get her balance and then took a couple steps. She reached out and held on to the wall for support, and then let go and stepped again.

She made it to the toilet unassisted.

"Good job Jennifer!"

After she was done, she stood up and made it to the bed unassisted as well. Slow, but steady.

She climbed back into bed, and they promised to bring her the paper so that she could read it.

She fell asleep about an hour later, and once again, dreamed of her and Jonathan.

***Jonathan***

Jonathan came into the hospital and asked for Jennifer Hart.

"Room 514. Second bank of elevators, take a right, and go through three sets of double doors and then take a left. You will then be in the right area".

"Thank you".

He stopped in the gift shop and got her some flowers and some Chapstick in her favorite flavor. He headed towards the elevators.

"Here goes nothing".


	8. Chapter 8

***Jennifer***

Jennifer was sleeping. She was in a deep sleep. Aynsley tried to wake her to get her to eat, but it was no use. She was out.

Aynsley covered her with a blanket and refilled her IV bag, and charted her vitals, and left.

***Jonathan***

Jonathan got off the elevator, and made his way to the right hallway like he had been told.

He found her room, and hesitated, before opening the door.

He saw her laying in the bed, sleeping.

His heart burst at the sight of her. His Jennifer, his darling, was laying in the bed.

She was alive, she was ok, they were ok.

On one hand, he didn't want to disturb her. On the other, he wanted to scream as loud as he could so the whole world would hear him.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, and then set down the flowers and picked up the phone. He took the phone as far away from her bed as he could, and called Jack at the hotel.

"Hey Jack, it's Jonathan. I found her. I don't know how long she will be here, and I am not leaving her side. So, fly back home when you are ready and I will figure out how to get us home when the time comes".

"Sure thing, buddy. And congratulations on finding her".

"Thanks".

He hung up and immediately went to Jennifer's side.

He put some Chapstick on his lips and then kissed her, so that her lips would be soft.

He grabbed her hand and held it and kissed it.

"I'm here, darling. I'm right here. I love you, and I am right here".

She moaned and moved her head a little, but stayed asleep.

He picked up the phone and called his office.

"Deanne, if the SEC calls or any important calls, give them this number. 253.642.8614".

He thanked her and hung up, and resumed staring at Jennifer.

4 hours later, she was still asleep.

He was getting desperate. He leaned forward, and gave her a kiss on the neck in that one spot….she moaned and moved her head.

"I'm here, darling. I am right here".

Slowly, her eyes opened.

She focused on him and stared at him for a long time.

"Is this….are you…."

He nodded.

Her eyes swelled with tears, and she reached for him.

He lowered her bedrail, and helped her sit up.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him fiercely.

She took his face in her hands.

"I love you".

"I love you too".

He kissed her.

She hit the button for the nurse.

She was crying and didn't want to let go of him.

Aynsley came in.

"This is my husband. Can you bring him a bed so he can stay with me?"

"I will page the doctor right away".

She looked back at Jonathan.

"What took you so long?"

"It's a long story, darling. A long, long story".

"How long have I been here?"

"9 months, 4 days and about 6 hours, since the explosion. I am not sure how long you have been in this hospital, darling".

"I have dreamt that you were here and that we were together, and then I wake up and you aren't here and I'm sad all over again. I tried to call you at the office, and I said your name twice but my voice was like a whisper when I first woke up and you couldn't hear me and you hung up, but I tried, honest…. I am rambling, I know it".

"It's the most beautiful sound in the whole wide world". He grabbed both of her hands and kissed them.

"I want to show you something. I have been working really hard on this".

She stood up, and walked unassisted to the bathroom and back.

She embraced him next to the hospital bed, and let him hold her.

"Great job, Darling".

"I have missed this".

"I have too, you have no idea how much".

He helped her back into bed, and sat as close to her as he could.

"Darling, fill me in".

"On what?"

"On what happened".

"What do you remember?"

"I remember the boat splitting apart, I remember escaping, and I remember being trapped in a room".

"Darling, all I know is that you were presumed dead in a boat explosion, and the Marine Police wouldn't help me out, and Jack Hanson was making these snide press conferences that didn't help anything, and then there was a body that was identified as yours. I'm sorry, darling, but I am the one who identified it".

"You didn't recognize me?"

"The face wasn't recognizable. So, they kept it covered and had me recognize you by moles and freckles and birthmarks. What made me think it was you was your ankle bracelet. She had red hair also, and it was sticking out from under the sheet. I am sorry, Jennifer. I really and truly thought you were dead. I buried you and everything. I had you exhumed week before last, and they compared dental records, but the results were inconclusive".

"Darling, it's alright. I was on a boat that exploded, what are you supposed to think?"

She leaned forward and kissed him.

His voice broke. "It's been a long 8 months without you".

"I'm sorry, Jonathan".

"Jennifer, this is not your fault at all. Don't think that for one minute".

The doctor came in and examined her.

"I think you are well enough to move to another wing for a little bit."  
"Can I go home soon?"

"You aren't exactly eating solid food yet, and I want you walking a little better before you are discharged. But you are heading in the right direction".

She agreed to get Jonathan a bed so that he could stay in the room with her.

"No relations yet, though. She's not ready".

"I understand".

The doctor left and Jonathan got up and brought her bag over.

"I packed you a bag at home, I hope I brought the right stuff. I brought you some pajama pants, some yoga pants and a few tank tops and t-shirts, plus your slippers and a silky robe, and some of your cosmetics. I also brought your purse".

"Perfect, darling. You did perfect".

She grabbed his face and kissed him a few times.

She got up, and he helped her to the bathroom, letting her do it but close by, in case she fell, so that she could change clothes and take a shower.

After she was dressed again, she sat on the bed and waited for them to come move her. She got out her fingernail clippers and clipped her toenails.

"8 months of nothing but sleep will turn your toenails into talons".

Jonathan leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Promise me something?"

"Sure".  
"Before you clip your fingernails, I want a back scratch".

"You got it". She turned and kissed him.

All of the hospital was a buzz about Jennifer, and how she had been asleep for months and her husband found her. It was very sweet.

Jennifer and Jonathan were squeezed into her hospital bed, and he had his arms around her. They both needed to be touching each other no matter what.

Aynsley came and brought her some pudding for lunch, along with some applesauce and yogurt.

As she came into the room, she saw that Jennifer had changed clothes and was digging into her purse.

She pulled out her wedding rings, and Jonathan took them from her.

"Let me".

She held her hand out, and he slid her wedding band back on her finger, and then kissed her. He slid her engagement ring, which he had actually given her on their 5-year anniversary, back on and kissed her again.

She held her hand up and looked at it.

"Nice fit".

Aynsley set her lunch tray down, and started to record her vitals.

Jennifer ate every bite, and asked for more.

"I am sad that you are leaving us, but I am so glad to see you doing better".

"Thanks, you have been so wonderful to care for me".

"Aynsley, what was my wife like when she came here?"

"She was breathing on her own, but unconscious, and just slept. She had a few cuts and scrapes on her face and arms and legs, but no serious damage. She had been brought in because of a car accident, and we all loved her red hair so much, that we called her Scarlett until she woke up and told us her name was Jennifer".

Jennifer looked at Jonathan.

"I had them call you several times, but you never answered".

"Guess we just missed each other, darling." He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Aynsley looked at him. "I am the one that called you and told you we had a Jennifer Heart here. I never thought that it might be as simple as we had her name spelled wrong".

"It's ok, really. This could have gone way worse at so many different places…"

She looked at Aynsley.

"Can we walk to my new room?"

"No, patient transport has to take you. They should be here soon".

She nodded.

"Well, good luck Jennifer. I am sure I will still see you in the hospital at some point".

"Thank you". Jennifer grabbed her hand and smiled at her, and Aynsley left.

Jennifer leaned forward and got her makeup bag and grabbed a mirror.

"Oh, my skin looks so awful… and my hair needs a cut so badly…."

"Jennifer, listen to me". He took the mirror from her hands and put it down, and turned her to face him.

"I'm listening".

"You have been through a lot, darling. You were in a boat explosion. You survived that, and then were held somewhere, and then were in a car accident, and then you were asleep for 8 months. That's 243 days, where all you did was sleep, darling. Without solid food. And you know what, you are still the most beautiful woman in the world to me".

He leaned forward and kissed her.

"I love you, Jonathan Charles".

He kissed her again.

"I love you too, Red. And I am so glad I found you".

"Darling, how did you spend the 8 months?"

He hesitated and then answered her as best he could.

"It was rough. I was in a fog at first, not wanting to believe it. And then I was determined to take Hanson down, so I had Stanley research him and called the SEC. But then I backed off, because I didn't want to be overzealous, and then every time there was an iota that you might be alive, I went for it. I guess you could say I have just been holding on, day to day".

She rubbed his arm, lovingly.

"How did you find me?"

"I went to dinner with Jack. He's leaving us for a new job, by the way. I haven't traveled since you "died", so I don't blame him. And on a lark, I started thinking about the timeline, after our dinner. And I decided to have Stanley look and see if anyone matching your description had been checked into a hospital in Washington. Turns out, they spelled your name H-E-A-R-T, so I flew up here just to see. I figured why not, worst that could happen was it was someone else. And I walked in this morning, and it was you".

She leaned forward and kissed him.

"Darling, you said you exhumed me a week ago. Why did you do that?"

"Curiosity, really. I wanted to know for absolute certain whether or not it was you. I realized that I could have made a mistake, and there was only one way to know for sure, so I called Lt. Grey, and I told him I would cover the costs, I just needed him to get me the permit. He took care of it, and I got a copy of your dental records, and then we went from there. I can't explain it, really. I just had to know for certain if it was you".

She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Tell me all of it, Jonathan. The good, the bad, the ugly".

He nodded.

"I was at home, watching the news when they announced that your boat had exploded. I refused to believe it. I remember that it was like I was caught in between living and dying… not sure which way to go. I had Stanley release a statement saying that nothing had been verified yet, and that there would be no further statements, please respect our privacy, blah blah blah. I flew up to Seattle to find you, and couldn't get anywhere. I packed up your things in the hotel, and Jack flew me home. He would tell you that I was fragile at best. I spent the whole flight home, after we had claimed your body, and I had identified you, or misidentified you, rather, staring at a picture of us, not saying a word. I almost trashed the hotel room you had in Seattle, too, but he stopped me. I had your funeral, only because Marcy and Susan and your friends begged me to, so that they could honor you. And it was a nice service. And that same day, when it was over, I came back to the house alone, and got your postcard in the mail, saying you wished I was there. That was a hard night. 2 weeks later, I realized that I was losing you all over again, when the groceries were running out, and then I just started existing. About 6 months after your funeral, I got a letter from Jessalyn Hanson, asking me to call her. She stated that she was certain that her husband killed you, and that he had all but confessed to her that he had. I agreed to help her leave them, since he terrorized her and the kids, and she didn't take me up on it right away. But eventually she did. I had Stanley research his business practices, and I called the SEC and then we did the exhumation, and then Jessalyn called, when their house was raided. I put them up in our corporate apartment. And then, when it said it was inconclusive, I just couldn't shake this feeling. I finally told myself that I would leave no stone unturned, and if you were gone, I would accept that. Jack Hanson gave a press conference yesterday, stating that you wanted to be on the boat with him, instead of with me, and that just rubbed me the wrong way. So, I had Stanley research to see if you were in a hospital, and he found you, and I came up here to see if it was really you, and here we are".

She had tears in her eyes.

"It's always you, darling. Always gonna be you. I am so sorry you had to go through this".

"We went through this, babe. You suffered just as much, if not more than I did".

She nodded.

"I was mean to Stanley. I pushed everyone away. I just wanted you".

"You, mean? I don't believe it".

"He wanted me to meet his sister, and I told him I would be happy to meet his family. He then started pitching her to me like she and I were on Love Connection, and I realized that by 'meet', he meant 'date'. So, I got upset and told him that you were still my wife and I wasn't going to betray you, no matter what. He stated that you weren't coming back, and I lost it."

"Darling, don't be so hard on yourself. I am sure he forgave you".

"He did. I apologized and all is forgiven. I just feel bad about it".

"Was Jack charged with anything?"

"I don't know. Let's find out."

He turned the TV on, to the all-news channels.

"Breaking news: Jack Hanson was arrested this morning by the SEC, and taken into custody. He will be held on a federal no bond custody hold. Our sources have told us that they have several people willing to testify against him, including his wife, his employees, and his henchman, Craig Thomas, seen here".

"Jonathan, that's the guy who had me".

It suddenly all came back to her, him telling her that they were going for a ride. Him telling her that he was taking her back to her family.

She turned to Jonathan.

"I remember…", she said softly.

"Tell me….it's ok".

She filled him in.

"I was thrown from the boat, and I hung out underwater when he came back so he wouldn't see me. Then, I climbed out of the lake, and flagged down a car and had them call me a cab and then we went to their house. I snuck in, got my stuff and left".

"Why didn't you call the police?"

"I planned to go back to the hotel, get my evidence and then call them. But when I got back to the hotel, I had a horrible headache. I took a shower, called you, and then headed to get food so that I could focus and have the evidence to show the police, and I was in the hallway and I was taken. I woke up in that room that Craig held me in, and then he forced me to go for a ride. I remember not understanding then what he was saying, but I understand it now. And then I tried to nap, and that's the last thing I remember until I woke up here".

Jonathan kissed her, and then leaned over and grabbed the phone. He called the SEC office, and spoke with Agent Markowitz.

"My wife is alive, and in Hope Presbyterian Hospital if you would like to question her. She remembers everything".

They said they would be there at 10 in the morning to speak with her, and hung up.

Patient transport arrived to move Jennifer. She got settled in the wheelchair, while Jonathan grabbed their bags.

She was moved to wing 4, and they had two beds waiting for them.

Dr. Watkins came in to examine her.

"I want to do a full battery of tests, so that we can make sure that you are 100% healthy. We will spread them out over the next two days, but it's basically just a full MRI, which would take about an hour, and a head CT to rule out any brain swelling, and a blood panel. And you have been keeping soft foods down so well, that I think tomorrow you can graduate to finger foods".

"Thank you so much, Dr."

"Get some rest. I still want you to take it easy, even though your husband is here".

"Yes, doctor".

She left them to get settled in.

Jonathan lowered their two inside bed rails, and pushed the beds together.

Jennifer settled back onto the bed and got comfy.

"Darling, did you bring my laptop?"

"No. I didn't know if it was you or not, so it seemed silly".

"I understand".

He grabbed the phone and brought it to her.

"We can call Stanley and have him bring it to us, he's flying up here for a conference tomorrow anyways".

"Sure, if he doesn't mind".

They made the call, and Stanley said he would be happy to bring it to her.

"Thanks Stanley". Jonathan covered the phone with his hand. "Need anything else?"

She shook her head no.

"That's all, Stanley, thanks".

He decided to not make a press statement until after they had spoken with the SEC.

Jennifer grabbed the chapstick, and put some on, and then leaned over and kissed him.

"I missed your lips, darling".

"I missed all of you, darling".

She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her.

The nurse came in and introduced herself.

"I am Whitney, I work this floor along with Ashlie and Amber. I was looking over your chart, and the doctor has put you on solid foods, so I am going to take out your IV."

"Wonderful".

Jennifer sat up and extended her arm, and the IV came out lickety-split.

"How is your walking?"

"Better, but not great".

"Ok, so try not to do too much without assistance, or someone being in here. You can still do it, just listen to your body and stop if you need to. I think you will see great gains when you start eating solid food again".

"Thank you."

Whitney left the room, and Jennifer laid her head back on Jonathan's chest.

"Darling, I have to tell you somethings. We need to work some things out".

She sat up and looked terrified.

"What is it?"

"Well, it was about 5 months after the boat explosion, and I was trying to figure out some things in regards to running the house and all of that. And, I made some decisions that you might not like, but we can fix them".

"You dated someone else?"

"No".

"Ok, then what is it?"

"Well, it's just me there, and with Max gone, I pretty much only go to and from work, especially with you not be there. So, I downsized a little bit".

"You sold our house?!"

"No, no. No. I didn't sell the house. I sold your BMW, and the station wagon".

"Is that all? Darling, it's alright".

"You aren't mad at me?"

"No. I mean think about it. We don't really use the station wagon anymore, and it is just us there. And I loved the BMW, but you thought I was…..so that makes sense, that you wouldn't want to keep it if you aren't driving it".

"We can get you another one if you want to, when you get home".

"Darling, I don't need any of it. I just need you".

She kissed him, and laid back down with him.

They took a nap until Whitney came in to check her pulse.

"Mrs. Hart, your dinner is here".

She was having spaghetti with meat sauce, cheese ravioli, and steamed vegetables.

"Can you order a second tray just like this for my husband, please?"

"Sure, right away".

She sat up and began to eat. Jonathan tried to help her, but she was able to do it all on her own. It was like she was back to her old self.

She finished her food, just as his arrived.

"Darling, while you eat, I am going to take a shower".

"Can you do that without me?"

"Absolutely".

There was a chair in the shower, and she promised to use it.

He stood behind her as she walked to the bathroom, and then after she got in the shower, he came out and started on his dinner.

She was in the shower for about 20 minutes, and then he heard the water shut off.

"You alright in there, darling?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Be out in a minute".

He sat on her bed waiting to help her if she needed him.

She came out a few minutes later and put on her pajamas, and climbed back into bed.

"Feel better?"

"Much. I cannot wait till I can take a bubble bath".

"I cannot wait till we can take one together."

She looked over and squeezed his chin.

"That would be fun".

"We can skip to the good part right now, if you want".

"Jonathan! We can't. You heard the doctor, she said I am not ready. I mean, I am ready, but I'm not ready, so we have to wait".

He didn't say anything and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Darling, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine".

"You aren't mad at me for not being ready?"

"Darling, don't be silly. I would love to make love to you right here, you know that. But I waited 8 months, and never thought I would ever again, so a few more days isn't going to hurt me".

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"Well, we are going to focus on you getting better. The SEC will be here tomorrow to talk to you and take your statement. And then if they go through with a trial, we will deal with that. I am sure they will have you testify if he doesn't plead guilty. If he manages to beat these charges, we will just go back to living our lives and deal with whatever comes our way".

She nodded. He could see that she was scared, and he was trying to reassure her.

He wrapped an arm around her.

"It's going to be ok, darling. I promise".


	9. Chapter 9

***Jennifer's hospital room***

Jonathan got her calmed down, and she fell asleep soon after. All the excitement of him finding her and then moving rooms had worn her out.

He waited till she was sleeping steadily, and then he eased off the bed and went and showered and changed into his pajamas.

He came out to find her sitting on the bed crying.

"Darling, what is it?"

"I woke up, and you weren't here and I thought it was all a dream".

She wiped her eyes and scooted back in bed.

He came over and kissed her and then climbed into bed next to her.

"Darling, it's not a dream. You are awake. I am here. We are together. I was just taking a shower, and getting ready for bed, honest."

"I'm sorry, Jonathan. I guess I'm just overly emotional".

"No need to apologize, babe. I promise you, I am not leaving this room without you, ok?"

She nodded.

He got up and turned the lights off, and they got settled in bed. She fell asleep with her head on his chest.

***The next morning***

Jennifer woke up around 7, when the nurse came to check on her.

Jonathan was still sleeping.

She ordered him 2 scrambled eggs and some bacon and toast, and herself a scrambled egg, yogurt, bacon and toast, and orange juice for both of them.

She had the SEC coming to speak with her at 10, and then PT after that, and then she wanted to spend some more time with Jonathan. She figured it would be a long day.

Jonathan woke up and was in the bathroom changing when the doctor came by.

"Mrs. Hart, you are progressing beautifully. If you keep this up, we might be able to talk about you going home by the end of the week".

"Wonderful!"

Jonathan came out of the bathroom.

"Dr., we live in Los Angeles. Will she be able to make the trip?"

"Not by car, that might be too taxing. However, a plane trip might be ok."

"Perfect".

Jonathan climbed back in bed with Jennifer, and the doctor told Jennifer she wanted to see her walk.

Jennifer got up and walked back and forth the room several times.

"Great job! I think today, you might officially graduate from Physical Therapy".

She handed Jennifer a pencil and paper.

"Can you write your name, and the numbers 1-10?"

Jennifer took the pen and started writing. It wasn't perfect, but it was legible.

"Ok, so this looks good. You should get better with practice, and maybe some stretching exercises".

Jennifer nodded.

Her breakfast arrived then, and the doctor ended her examination.

"Great job, Mrs. Hart. I will see you on my rounds later this afternoon".

"Thank you, doctor".

They ate breakfast and Jonathan turned the TV on to the news.

Stanley came by around 9:30.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Hart. Mrs. Hart, it's so lovely to see you again".

"Thank you, Stanley".

"Here is your laptop. I grabbed the whole bag, plus the charger on top".

"Perfect! Thank you so much, Stanley".

"Stanley, we aren't releasing any statements to the press that Jennifer is alive just yet. So, we would appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything to anyone".

"Certainly, Mr. Hart".

"Who did you leave in charge at the office, Stanley?"

"Steven Lawson. He has been by my side the last three projects, so it only seemed fitting".

"Great choice. Thank you for running things, Stanley".

"You're welcome. Well, I better head out to my conference. Great to see you both. And Mrs. Hart, I am so glad you are still with us". He leaned down and kissed her cheek, and then shook Jonathan's hand, before leaving.

Jennifer turned to Jonathan.

"Darling, I think he's still upset with you. He didn't seem like himself".

"I caught that too. I will take him out for a drink one night, after we get back home. Smooth things over".

"Good idea".

Jennifer got up and took a quick shower and changed clothes before the SEC came in to speak with her.

She had just settled back on the bed when the agent got there.

She was a tall blonde lady, very slim build.

"Hello, I am Agent Channing, with the Securities Exchange Commission."

"Hi, I am Jennifer Hart, and this is my husband Jonathan."

She pulled up a chair and began to talk to her.

"Ok, I know it's been awhile, but can you please try and tell me what you remember about when you were interviewing Jack Hanson?"

"Just that he was pretentious, and seemed like he was putting on a show for me. I spent one day at his office, sitting in on his meetings, and watching him work. He gave me a tour of his multi-million dollar facility. The second day, we spent the first half of the day in a meeting with his clients, and then the second half of the day was to be spent with his family. He took me out on a boat ride with his wife and children, and then claimed that his boat was malfunctioning. So, his wife apparently doesn't know how to drive the boat, but I do, so he had me drive the little boat behind them, and as soon as we got out into the middle of the lake, it died. He kept going, and then when he was out of sight, my boat blew up".

"How did you survive?"

"I was on the swim team in college. I bobbed up and down in the water, and stayed out of sight till he was gone, and then swam to the shore and climbed out."

"What did you do next?"

"Well, I went to the road, flagged down a car, and had them call me a taxi. Waited on the side of the road for a taxi, and then had them take me to his house up the street, and I ran to the back, saw their boat was still out, and remembered that their youngest daughter told me a secret. That secret was that the code to get in the back gate was her birthday. We just so happen to have the same birthday. So, I opened the gate, and I knew that we had left the patio door open, and I opened it, grabbed my bags and then the cab took me back to the hotel".

"At the hotel, did you call the police?"

"No. I planned on getting my evidence together and then calling the police, but I was taken from the hotel before I could do that".

She then explained about being in the room, being in the car, what he said to her, and then waking up in the hospital".

Agent Channing turned to Jonathan.

"You reported him to us, right?"

"Yes, that's correct".

"How did you get the information that you gave to us?"

"Off the Internet. I had one of my employee's research him".

"Mrs. Hart, are you willing to testify against him?"

"Certainly".

"We appreciate it. We have his henchman, Craig, the man who held you, and we have his wife and several employees, and your testimony could for sure seal his conviction".

"I am glad to help out".

"Well, it has been a pleasure talking to you, and best wishes for a continued recovery".

"Thank you".

"Can we make a statement to the press about Jennifer being alive?"

"We would prefer that you didn't. We don't want to give his legal team any excuse to file motions to get the charges dropped or reduced. We were hoping that your wife would be our surprise witness".

Jennifer nodded.

"Agent Channing, I believe that you will find the body of his employee that he killed buried in my wife's plot at the Rosewood Memorial Gardens, in Los Angeles. I misidentified the body as belonging to my wife, and had it buried".

"Thank you, Mr. Hart. I will let her family know. I think with Craig's testimony we will have enough evidence, but my boss may wish to do an autopsy, so we might be exhuming it".

"Please tell the family that I am sorry, and I will be happy to cover all costs for them to rebury their daughter".

"That's very generous of you. I will pass that along".

She bid them goodbye, and they tried to have a quiet moment, but the physical therapist came in right after that.

"Oh, Scarlett is awake today? And reunited with her family, glad to see it".

"Hi. And please, call me Jennifer. This is my husband, Jonathan".

"I am Heather, I did a lot of your physical therapy while you were sleeping".

"What did we do?"

"Leg Bends, arm bends, stretches, things like that".

"I see".

"Today, I want to see you walk, and then we are going to work on balancing."

"Alright". Jennifer got up and out of bed and she and Heather took a walk up and down the hall.

They came back to the room.

"How did you do, darling?"

"Passed with flying colors".

He kissed her.

"I knew you would".

"Ok, now I want to see how long you can stand on one foot. You can move all around to keep your balance, but no touching the floor with the other foot".

"Got it". She started with her left, and managed to balance herself for over a minute and a half on just her left leg, without having to move around a lot.

"Great job!" Now, let's do the right leg".

That was better, because it's her stronger side. Almost 4 minutes.

"Perfect".

Jennifer sat on the edge of the bed.

"Mrs. Hart, I hereby pronounce you a physical therapy graduate. I want you to remember these stretches and exercises and do them when you get tired, ok? Listen to your body, rest when you need to. You are still healing, and will be for several months yet".

"Thank you, Heather. I appreciate it".

She settled back in bed with Jonathan. He could see that she was tired, so he found a movie on TV and they started to watch. Before long, she was asleep.

He held her as she slept, and smoothed the hair off her forehead.

He kept thanking his lucky stars that he had her back again.

***3 days later***

Jennifer was being released from the hospital today. She was beyond excited, and so was Jonathan.

He called Jack, and Jack was flying up to pick them up, and then flying them home.

Jennifer was officially released at 11, and hospital rules stated that she had to leave in a wheelchair. Whitney pushed her down the hall as Jonathan carried their bags. Every nurse that had worked with her, came and told her bye as she left. Jennifer teared up at that.

"See ya Scarlett! Happy trails!"

She was laughing, and holding Jonathan's hand.

They made it out of the front door of the hospital and into the cab he ordered, who then took them to the airport.

Jack was waiting for them, and gave Jennifer a huge hug, and then Jonathan one as well.

"So great to see you".

"My husband tells me you are leaving us".

"Well, I was. I got hired to fly for someone, and Jonathan wasn't using me, so I needed the work. But on my first day, I got there and realized that I was going to be flying for someone I couldn't trust, so I quit, and went back to LA."

"Who was it?"

"Jack Hanson".

Jonathan laughed, and Jennifer grimaced.

"Isn't that something? Glad to have you back, Jack".

Jonathan and Jack shook hands.

"Well, the plane is ready whenever you are".

"It might take me a minute to get up there, Jack. I haven't climbed stairs in a long time".

"Take your time, Jennifer. No rush".

"I'm right behind you, darling".

She hesitated after the first step, but then had no problems. She zipped right up them, and turned around and smiled at Jonathan.

"Amazing, darling, simply amazing".

She Kissed him when he got to her, and they took their seats.

They stretched out on the chaise lounge, and before she knew it, they were landing.

Jack graciously gave them a ride home, and declined their offer to join them for dinner.

***Willow Pond***

They pulled up, and Jonathan helped Jennifer out of the car, and then got their bags.

He opened the door, and they said goodbye to Jack.

She leaned down to get her bag, but he wouldn't let her.

"No, darling. Let me".

"Ok".

He scooped her up and held her.

"Jonathan! What are you doing?"

"Carrying you over the threshold".

She kissed him.

"I love you".

He opened the door, and carried her in and set her down.

"It's so good to be home."

"It's wonderful to be here with you".

He leaned forward and embraced her, before giving her a slow kiss.

"Darling, are you hungry?"

"Yes, but I want a bubble bath more".

"I tell you what, you go take a bubble bath, and when you get out, we will have dinner".

"Perfect".

She turned to him on the steps.

"Darling, how long do I have to stay hidden?"

"My guess would be a few weeks. Federal trials usually happen much quicker than state ones".

She nodded, and then headed upstairs to the bath.

She was in the bath, relaxing, when she started having flashbacks. She could literally feel the boat exploding. She got chills, even though her water was still warm.

She simply could not get out of the bath fast enough.

Jonathan came upstairs and found her in her nightgown.

She looked like she had seen a ghost.

He simply walked up to her and embraced her, and told her how glad he was that she was home.

"Darling, I was thinking. This stay in the house thing isn't going to work. I need to get my hair done, my nails and toes done, I need to go grocery shopping, I am sure my friends want to see me, darling. Can't we call the Agent tomorrow and see if I am allowed to go places?"

"I will call them first thing in the morning, darling. I promise. We will get it all worked out".

She nodded, and he could see she had tears in her eyes.

"Now, dinner is on its way, and I think you are going to enjoy it".

"Oh, what is it?"

"Something you haven't had since you left and for that matter, neither have I".

"Pizza? Chinese? You went 9 months without Chinese?"

"No, darling. La Scala. I went 9 months without La Scala".

"You did? Darling, you love La Scala".

"I love you more, and I just couldn't stand the thought of eating there without you".

She hugged him and started scratching his back.

A few minutes later, he kissed her and then changed into his pajamas.

"I built us a fire downstairs, how about we eat in front of the fireplace?"

"Perfect. You know me so well".

She kissed him and they headed downstairs.

They snuggled up on the floor against the cushions in front of the fire.

He sat behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Darling, I have a confession to make".

"What's that?"

"Well, before I found you in the hospital, and while I still thought you were gone, I was in the closet upstairs, looking for something. I found a Christmas present that you had wrapped for me."

"And?"

"And, it wasn't Christmas yet. But I wasn't in the Christmas mood, because without you, there's nothing to celebrate. So, even though it wasn't officially Christmas, and since I wasn't celebrating, I opened it early. I know you don't like it when I open presents early, darling. But I just couldn't see a reason to wait".

She turned so that she was facing him.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

"It's alright, darling."

He nodded.

"What was it?"

"You mean you don't know?"

"I was asleep for 9 months darling, sue me if I forget a few things".

He hugged her tight and kissed her cheek.

"Free pass. It was a Dodger's cap and a note that said you were going to buy us season tickets".

"Oh yes, I remember".

"So, that leads us to an important question".

"What's that?"

"What else did you hide from me?"

"Jonathan! It's not a holiday. Whatever it is, will have to wait till next Christmas".

He looked crestfallen.

"Just kidding darling. We can search the closets together".

"That's more like it". He leaned forward and kissed her.

The doorbell rang, so he jumped up and got the door, and paid for their dinner, and then brought it to the table.

"Do you think you can handle a cocktail darling?"

"I probably could, but I don't feel up to it. Maybe tomorrow".

"How about some water?"

"Sounds good".

He got them both a water and then came to sit with her again.

After a nice dinner, where Jennifer managed to eat almost all of her pasta, they decided to go upstairs to bed.

Jonathan put the fire out, and helped Jennifer up off the floor.

She took their dinner trays to the kitchen.

Jonathan found her surveying the meager contents of the fridge.

"Darling, I am going to make a grocery list. Just of the essentials. Do you think you can have it delivered?"

"Sure."

She made the list rather quickly, and then he called it in, and they promised to have it delivered within 1 hour.

They sat on the couch under a blanket waiting for the order.

She put it away when it got there, and he went and took the golf cart down to the mailbox to get the mail.

When he came back in, he saw that she had made his favorite coffee creamer for him, in the jug like she used to.

"Ready, babe?"

"Yes."

"Wait a second. I want to show you something".

"Oh, what is that?"

"Darling, I want you to think back to the day you left for Seattle. Do you remember anything?"

"I remember that you and I made love right before I left."

"Before that".

"I remember writing out the bills and telling you how to pay them, and packing my suitcase".

"Before that".

"I was doing your laundry".

"Yes. And what did you say while you were doing it?"

"I was being bratty and yelling because we didn't have a laundry chute".

"You weren't being bratty, darling, you were frustrated".

She leaned forward and kissed him.

"Darling, cover your eyes".

She did as instructed.

He led her forward into the laundry room, and opened the door and turned the light on.

"Ok, open".

"Darling, you added cabinets! And you repainted".

"There was a little mishap. The washer and dryer broke in the same day".

"Same day?"

"Yes, Patsy was here. She said the washer flooded, and the dryer caught fire, and we had to redo the floor and repaint, so I decided to go full on reno, and redid the whole room. Now, the cabinets aren't exactly the surprise. It's what in the cabinets".

He leaned forward and opened it, and pointed up.

"The closet that is right outside our bedroom, that we kept quilts and blankets in? It's now a laundry chute. The cabinet catches it and conceals it. You can open the cabinet and pull the laundry out straight onto the table, and sort it".

She threw her arms around him.

"You are the greatest man".

She kissed him long and slow. When they finally came up for air, she stared at him.

"This was the sweetest thing you ever could have done, darling".

"Why do you say that?"

"Jonathan, you thought I was dead. You thought I wasn't coming back. And you still added in the feature that I wanted, even though I wasn't going to be here to use it, just because I said I wanted it".

"I would do anything for you, darling. Absolutely anything".

They went upstairs and settled into bed.

When he climbed in bed next to her, she looked at him and said "Take your shirt off".

He did as she instructed.

"Roll over".

He knew what was coming, and got excited.

"Darling, if you are tired, we don't have to do this now".

"It's ok, I want to".

She straddled his back and gave him an extra-long back scratch.

After about an hour and a half, she had him all relaxed and happy.

She climbed off his back, and laid beside him.

He kissed her.

"Are you ready, darling?"

She nodded.

"I think so".

He took her in his arms, and kissed her passionately, and then took the nightgown off her.

He shimmied out of his pajama pants and started kissing her neck.

She reached down and cupped him.

"Hello, sailor".

She guided him to where she wanted him, and he gently thrust into her, and started taking it slow.

"Jonathan, I am your wife, I am not going to break, baby".

He kissed her and picked up the pace.

She dug her nails into his back, as they went over the edge together, and clung to each other.

They didn't have to speak, they just locked eyes and could read each other's hearts.

After about an hour of cuddling, he reached up and turned out the light.

"No moving, Jonathan. We promised we weren't going to move".

"I didn't leave the bed. I just turned out the light is all".

She kissed him, and they drifted off to sleep, wrapped up together.

***3 a.m.***

Jennifer woke up screaming "Stop! No!" over and over again.

Jonathan sat up, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Darling, it's all right, it's just a nightmare. You're ok".

He got up and got her some water and came back to her.

"Here, drink this".

She took it and drank it and calmed down some.

"I'm sorry I woke you".

"Don't be silly. I'm so thankful you're here to wake me up".

He kissed her.

"Are you alright now?"

She nodded.

He laid back down.

"Come here, darling".

She snuggled back on his chest, and he held her tight.

"I think you will feel better once you testify against him".

"I am so ready for all of this to be over so we can get back to normal".

She fell asleep within minutes, and once he was assured that she was sleeping, he fell back asleep too.


	10. Chapter 10

***The next day***

Jonathan woke up, and realized that he was still holding Jennifer and she was still sleeping. So, he laid there till she woke up.

He decided to surprise her, and figured he would make the arrangements when she woke up.

About an hour later, she woke up and kissed him.

"Good morning, darling".

"Good morning, gorgeous".

He kissed her a few times, and then she got up and headed for the shower.

While she was in the shower, he called Marcy.

"Hey, can you be at my house today at 10? It's important".

"Sure, is everything ok?"

"Yes. Wear lounge clothes, you don't have to dress up".

"Ok, see you then".

He hung up and called Susan Kendall.

"Susan, it's Jonathan. Can you come to the house at 10? It's important".

"Sure. Anything wrong?"

"Nope, and don't dress up. Wear lounge type clothes, and I will explain when you get here".

They hung up and then he went and joined her in the shower.

"Darling, you are just in time to soap my back".

She kissed him and then handed him the soap.

After a rather steamy shower, they got out and dried off.

He went downstairs and made her breakfast, and started the coffee.

She came downstairs right after him, and made his coffee with the secret concoction.

He took a sip.

"So good. I have missed this coffee".

"Darling, all the ingredients for it were right there in the fridge".

"Jennifer, you are going to have to be more specific". He leaned down and kissed her.

After they ate breakfast, she cleaned up the kitchen, and he made sure to have the gate open at 9:55, so she wouldn't hear the intercom.

He was standing by the front door when the doorbell rang.

He let them in and thanked them for coming, and shushed them when they started talking.

Jennifer came out of the kitchen into the living room.

"Darling, who was at the-"

She saw Marcy and Susan, and jogged towards them.

They enveloped her into a huge hug, and they were all three crying.

He let them have their moment, and just as they were done, the doorbell rang again.

He opened the door and let them in.

"Ladies, you are having a spa day here at the house. Massages, facials, nails and toes. My treat. I think my wife is overdue for some girl time".

She walked over to him and kissed him.

"Thank you, darling".

"You're welcome. Just promise me if you don't feel good, you will tell Susan, ok?"

She nodded. "I promise".

"I am going to head to the office. But I can be home quickly, if needed, alright?"

"Alright". She kissed him goodbye a few times, and Susan and Marcy thanked him.

As he opened up the door to leave, a lady was standing on the other side.

"Ladies, this is your caterer for the day. She can get you cocktails, food, whatever you like".

"How awesome!"

They started with mani/pedi's.

Susan looked at Jennifer.

"Where have you been?"

"Well, I had gone to Seattle, to interview Jack Hanson. And Jonathan couldn't come with me, but we were talking on the phone all day long. I dug up some stuff that wasn't favorable. Jack found out, and when I went to his house, he tricked me into getting into one of his boats and following him while he supposedly took the other boat to the mechanic and then my boat exploded. I landed in the water, and swam to shore when it was safe, and then flagged down someone to call me a cab and made my way back to the hotel. I was in my room, and I left to go get dinner across the street, when Hanson's henchman took me. Then, we ended up getting in a car accident, and I was taken to a hospital and was in coma for about 8 months. Jonathan had an associate look and see if anyone matching my description had been booked into a hospital in Washington state and they found someone matching my description, but our last name was spelled 'Heart', not 'Hart'. So, Jonathan flew up to check it out, and sure enough, it was me."

"That's amazing".

"Yes, it truly is. We were at your funeral and watched them bury you".

"Well, according to the henchman, Craig, Jack Hanson killed his secretary the week before and Craig was supposed to dispose of her. So, he put her on ice and then when Jack called and told him to kill me and bring my body to the lake, he put the secretary's body in the body bag instead, and he was planning to let me go somewhere so that I could call Jonathan. But we had the accident instead. So, really, you buried the secretary. Jonathan and I are very fortunate".

"Hanson deserves to rot in prison".

"I am pretty sure he is going to. You guys can't tell anyone that I am alive, though, because I am going to be the surprise witness at his trial".

They agreed.

After their toes were done, they moved to the massage table.

The tables were arranged in a triangle like pattern. Jennifer was facing both of them.

Susan looked over at her.

"Jennifer, how did you check out medically?"

"Fine. They had me on IV nutrition the whole time I was sleeping. The nurse said she occasionally put ice chips in my mouth to keep my throat from getting too dry, and they had a physical therapist come in and do exercises with me to keep my muscles moving. When I woke up, they gave me an MRI, a CT, and a blood panel, and then physical therapy started having me walk with a belt thing on, and then without. My voice was gone at first, I could only whisper. But after a day or two, it came back".

"That's great. How about all the other aspects of your life, have they returned as normal?"

"Sex? You are asking me about sex?"

Susan nodded, while Marcy snickered.

"The doctor wouldn't let us do it in the hospital. We didn't exactly ask about it when I was discharged and they didn't bring it up. We got home last night, and just kind of went for it".

"Well, that's great that you have no lingering issues".

"Well, actually, I had a pretty awful nightmare last night and when we got home, I wanted a bubble bath so bad, so I went and took one, and being in the water made me flashback to the explosion. It was very odd".

"Totally normal. Your body has been suppressing the memories, and the water was a trigger. Sleep is typically when the body thinks it's safe to process the memories".

"I just feel bad. Jonathan has been so amazing and I hate to keep putting him through all this".

"Jennifer, he loves you so much it broke him to say goodbye to you. He was a damn wreck. I haven't ever seen him so upset, I honestly didn't think he would make it through the first few months".

"If the situation was reversed, I might not either".

"Ok, that's enough sadness. Now, catch me up on the gossip I missed while I was gone".

They all started laughing, before they filled her in on all the scoop.

Around 4:30, they had been massaged, painted, and facially detoxed, and were sitting on the couch.

Jennifer tried to write a check to the mobile spa workers, but they insisted that Jonathan had prepaid. Their caterer made them all a cocktail and then left.

Susan assured Jennifer that it was ok to have a cocktail, but to drink it slow.

"This has been the best day. I needed this so much".

"We are so happy that you are still here, Jennifer. We missed you beyond words".

Jonathan got home at 5:15, and Susan and Marcy got up to go.

"Thanks for a wonderful day!"

They both hugged her tight, and after promising to keep her a secret a little while longer, they left.

Jonathan came over and sat next to Jennifer on the couch.

"Hi darling".

"Hi handsome". She kissed him several times.

"Have a nice day?"

She put her arms around his neck.

"It was wonderful. You always know just what I need".

She kissed him again.

"I called the SEC today. They are starting his trial on Monday, so you only have to hideout a few more days."

"Great. I am so ready to be seen again".

"And tonight, you and I are going on a special errand".

"How?"

"Your Porsche has tinted windows, darling. I made special arrangements for you, and I promise you, that nobody will see you when we are out".

"When are we going?"

"As soon as you are ready".

She kissed him and got up and went to change.

She came downstairs in leggings, flip flops and a long tunic.

"As soon as this trial is over, I am going to have to go shopping. Nothing fits me anymore".

He led her to the Porsche and opened the door for her, and then locked the house.

They headed to the secret location, and pulled up and parked.

He led her inside through a back door, and she realized where they were.

Her stylist had agreed to see her after hours, when it could be just them at the salon.

"Thank you, darling".

She kissed him and hugged his neck.

"I will be sitting in the waiting room".

Jennifer's stylist did her roots, and gave her a scalp treatment and a healthy haircut, and then a protein treatment. She also got an eyebrow wax and tint, and the standard neck massage while she was waiting for the color to take.

After a couple hours of pampering, and some instructions to deep condition once a week for the next several weeks, they swung through a drive thru and then headed home.

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer and Jonathan came inside, and Jennifer went to get ready for bed.

"How about a movie in bed tonight?"

"Sure. You pick".

He got the room all set up while she changed into her pajamas, and then she came out and joined him.

She sat behind him, and he leaned back against her. She gave him a chest rub, and traced shapes with her fingernails on his chest. She started rubbing his head, when she heard him snoring.

She wrapped her arms around him and just hugged him tight.

"I put you through so much", she whispered, "and you didn't deserve any of it".

She let the tears fall as she held him while he slept.

When the movie was over, she turned the tv off, and they laid there in the dark.

***Middle of the night***

Jonathan woke up around 1:30, and got up to get some water. He came back to bed and slid Jennifer to her side of the bed, and then climbed in next to her and held her.

Just as he put his arm around her, she started yelling, "No! Let me go! Get away!"

"Darling, darling, wake up. Jennifer, wake up, babe. It's a nightmare, nobody is getting you".

She sat up and opened her eyes.

"Darling, it was a nightmare. I was the one who touched you, I'm sorry. It's ok".

"I'm sorry, Jonathan. I didn't mean to-"

"Shhh….it's alright. You're ok. Everything's ok".

He got her calmed back down, and went to get her some water, and then they tried to go back to sleep.

Jonathan wasn't touching Jennifer, and after a few minutes, she rolled over towards him and put her head on his chest.

"I'm so sorry for everything, darling", she whispered.

He kissed her forehead. "It's not your fault, darling".

***Sunday***

Jack flew Jonathan and Jennifer up to Seattle so they could be there for the trial.

They checked into a hotel. Jonathan decided Jennifer wasn't ready to stay at the Four Seasons again, only 10 months since she was here the last time.

They checked in and had time to relax before dinner. Jonathan could tell she was nervous.

She was standing in their hotel room, looking at the view.

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Everything is going to go fine, darling. You are going to dazzle them with your beautiful smile, and you are going to tell the truth and he is going to be convicted and it will all be ok".

"I hope so. I just don't trust him, and I can't help but think something is going to go wrong."

He turned her to face him.

"Why don't we focus on us tonight, and not give him any energy?"

She nodded.

"Jonathan….I am sorry I put you through all of this. If I had just told Marcia no in the first place, none of this would have happened".

"Jennifer, this isn't your fault. If it was, it would be your trial tomorrow. Hanson did this, he is responsible and nobody else".

"I just feel bad for waking you up each night with nightmares and being scared".

"Well, you know what, I barely slept for the 9 months that you were gone, so it's ok. And I wouldn't want to be woken up by anyone else, darling. It's always going to be you".

He kissed her and held her close.

"Every time I close my eyes…"

"I know. It will all be over soon, darling."

They ordered room service, and then got ready for bed.

After they ate, Jonathan rolled the cart out into the hallway, and then joined Jennifer in bed.

He gave her an extra-long backrub, and then they fell asleep.

***Monday morning***

Jennifer was up early, way before Jonathan. She watched the sunrise from their window, taking in the beautiful colors in the sky.

About an hour after she woke up, she took a shower. She was in the shower, letting the water just rush over her, when Jonathan came in and joined her.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, and she started screaming.

"No! NO!"

"Jennifer….it's me. It's me. It's alright".

She collapsed into tears and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry".

He held her in the shower, and just let her cry.

"Just let it all out, darling. It's ok. Just let it out".

She cried in his arms for about 20 minutes and then she relaxed some. She let him shampoo her hair and condition it, and scrub her back, and then she got out and dried off while he took a quick shower, and then got out and dried off.

She was sitting at the vanity, putting on her makeup.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and came over and leaned down and kissed her.

She stood up and embraced him.

"I'm sorry Jennifer, I didn't mean to scare you. I wasn't thinking".

"No, I'm sorry. I should have known it was you. Do you hate me?"

"Darling, I could never hate you. You didn't do anything wrong, babe. I'm the one that scared you".

"I overreacted. Seems like all I have been doing since you found me is overreacting to things".

"I tell you what. If it will make you feel better, let's focus on the trial and get that over with. Then we will find you a counselor who can help you put this behind you, ok? I'll be right by your side every step of the way".

She nodded.

"I really do like it when you surprise me in the shower, darling. I promise, I love it".

"I know. And after this is over with, I will do it again".

He kissed the tip of her nose and held her for a few minutes, and then they got dressed.

***Courthouse***

The SEC picked up Jonathan and Jennifer from the hotel, and took them to the courthouse. They brought them in the back door, so that the press wouldn't see them.

They were taken to a conference room. Agent Channing came in to speak with them.

"Hello. We should be starting in an hour. Our strategy is, we are going to reduce his charge for murdering you to attempted murder, in hopes that your testimony will make the murder charge for his secretary's death, as well as the fraud charges stick. You will be asked several questions about his demeanor while you were with him, but basically everything will be heavily focused on how he blew the boat up. So, be prepared for that. There is still the possibility that as soon as he sees you, he will plead guilty, and you won't have to testify. If that's the case, then we will proceed right to sentencing and you can testify during those proceedings."

"I understand".

"We are also going to have a line of questioning that focuses on your recovery."

She nodded.

"Mr. Hart, we want you to testify to the fact that you refuse to do business with him, and how you managed while you thought she was dead. Your questioning will be less invasive, but still important".

"Glad to help out".

"This is the witness room. You will go first, and then you, Mr. Hart. Mrs. Hart, you can sit in the courtroom when your testimony is over. After the proceedings end for the day, you will be brought back here, along with the other witnesses, to be briefed by me".

"Thank you".

"Ok, I will be back when it's time. Don't be nervous, you will do great".

She left them alone, and Jonathan put his arm around Jennifer.

"We got this darling…he isn't going to get out of this".

About 20 minutes later, Jennifer went to the bathroom.

When she came out, the agents were there to escort her to the courtroom.

Jonathan looked at her as she came out of the bathroom.

"Showtime".


	11. Chapter 11

***Courthouse***

Jennifer was escorted into the courtroom, by an agent, and she confidently walked up to the witness stand.

Jack's face turned white as a ghost as he saw her come in.

"The witness will please raise their right hand, and put their left hand on the bible and repeat after me:"

Jennifer did as she was told.

"Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do".

"You may be seated".

The prosecutor went first.

"Please state your name and address for the record."

"Jennifer Hart, 3100 Willow Pond Road, Bel Air, California."

"Mrs. Hart, can you please tell the court how you came to be involved with the defendant?"

"I am a freelance journalist, and my editor called asking me if I could do an interview in Seattle, she gave me 3 days to get there, and told me it would be at least 4 days. I would be interviewing him for a publication piece in his company's magazine, and then possible publication in other magazines."

"Please tell us about your time with him".

Jennifer launched into the story, and explained all about how she observed him, and felt that he was putting on an act, and how she had dug up dirt on him that contradicted the nice guy image he was portraying.

"Why would you do further research when you are there with him?"

"I am known for copious research, and I wanted to make sure that I left no stone unturned".

"Mrs. Hart, what happened when you spent the day with his family?"

"They gave me a lovely tour of the house, which was a beautiful house that had a big backyard and a boat dock out on Lake Washington, and then they had me get on their boat with them. He pretended that their boat wasn't working, so he asked his wife to follow us in a smaller boat and said we would just drop the non-working boat off at the mechanic. She said she couldn't drive a boat, so I told him I could, and as we drove along, I realized that there wasn't anything wrong with his boat at all. All of a sudden, he took off at top speed, around a corner and my boat died. I tried to restart it, and then it exploded".

"So what happened then?"

"Well, I was thrown into the lake, and I bobbed up and down for a minute, and then started to swim to the shore. I heard him coming so I bobbed under water, and waited till he left, and then resumed swimming".

"What did you see him doing?"

"He drove back, surveyed the lake with his boat pieces everywhere, and then turned around and drove back the way he came".

She continued to tell them how she flagged down a car, asked for a taxi, and then took a taxi to his house, grabbed her things, and then went to her hotel.

She saw Jack Hanson lean over and whisper in his attorney's ear.

His attorney stood up.

"Your honor, by her own admission, Mrs. Hart just admitted to breaking and entering into my client's house. The defense respectfully requests that she be charged with breaking and entering".

"You can't be serious! Jack, that's low, even for you".

Judge Maxine Waters banged her gavel.

"The witness will refrain from addressing the defendant directly. And the defendant's counsel will refrain from wasting my and the court's time with frivolous motions and objections".

Jennifer smirked. She loved to see Jack beaten at his own game.

The prosecutor continued.

"Mrs. Hart, please tell the court about what happened when you got to your hotel".

Jennifer told them about Craig kidnapping her, and holding her in a room, and then taking her for a ride.

She explained that he had no intentions of hurting her, and was going to let her go, but then they had a car accident.

"And after that, I was in a coma, at the hospital, for 8 months".

"Did you sustain any permanent injuries as a result of Mr. Hanson's actions?"

"Physically, it took me almost a month to regain the ability to walk completely unassisted, and balance myself completely unassisted. I am still not back to what I used to be, but I am close. My voice was also strained for about 2 weeks, after I woke up. Emotionally, I am much, much worse than when I went to interview him. I wake up every night with nightmares. I freak out if people surprise me, or touch me. I used to enjoy bubble baths at night, and soaking in the hot tub with my husband. I cannot do it anymore, because each time I try, I flashback to being in the water, and flying through the air and feeling the boat explode. My husband is the absolute sweetest, most romantic man on the planet. We have a very romantic and intimate marriage, but he cannot touch me from behind or in bed like he used to without me screaming and freaking out thinking that someone is trying to kidnap me. I get scared when I am in the shower, and I am just jittery and nervous all of the time. I wasn't like that before, and I don't like feeling this way".

"How has what he put you through affected your marriage?"

"Well, first of all, he slandered our marriage, by giving a press conference and saying that I wanted to be there with him instead of with my husband. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Second of all, for 8 months, my husband thought I was dead. He buried me, he mourned me, he grieved me. Now that he has me back, he has to deal with my overly emotional, hypersensitive, scared, screaming in the night version of myself. That's not fair, he didn't sign up for this and neither did I".

"Mrs. Hart, are you afraid of Jack Hanson?"

"Yes, I am."

"No further questions, your honor".

The defense attorney came up then.

"Mrs. Hart, do you always research your subjects before you interview them?"

"If not before, definitely during. I will never submit an article for publication where I haven't researched the subject at all".

"And on the day that you were with my client at his office, were you or were you not confiding in him about your marriage troubles?"

"I was not".

"How can you be sure?"

"Because, I wasn't having any marriage troubles".

"Mrs. Hart, do you remember what you were wearing on the boat with Mr. Hanson and his family?"

"A bathing suit, some running shorts and a tank top, and some water shoes".

"How skimpy was the bathing suit that you were wearing?"

"Not skimpy at all".

"Mrs. Hart, isn't it true that you were trying to seduce my client, and that you tried to get him to get in the smaller boat with you, and when your seductions failed, you purposely flooded his boat's engine and then repeatedly tried to restart the boat in an attempt to permanently disable the boat and render it unfixable so that you could get revenge on him for not finding you desireable?"

"I beg your pardon! Absolutely not!"

"Mrs. Hart, do you have any proof that you were really in the hospital for 8 months, and not off galavanting around with a boyfriend?"

"I can get proof if you need it, but last time I checked, I wasn't the one on trial here, your client was".

"This court agrees with Mrs. Hart. And furthermore, this court apologizes to the witness for this asinine line of questioning and game playing. This court is putting an end to this witness's testimony. Mrs. Hart, please accept the courts apology and you may step down".

"Thank you, your honor".

She stepped down and took a seat in the back of the court room.

Jonathan was shown in a few minutes later, and he testified about how Jack Hanson refuses to abide by the West Coast Business Guarantee, and how the other businessmen in the West Coast group don't want to do business with him. He also testified about how he spent the 8 months without her. Hearing him talking about thinking she was gone broke Jennifer's heart. She had tears running down her face listening to him.

"The worst part is, she blames herself for what I went through and what she thinks she is putting me through now, and nothing I do or say can convince her that she isn't to blame. But she isn't to blame, Jack Hanson is".

Jonathan was finally allowed to step down, and he went and joined Jennifer in the back of the court room.

He sat down next to her and hugged her and kissed her.

He leaned in close to her ear.

"Are you alright?", he whispered.

She kind of half nodded, which he knew meant "kind of".

They returned their attention to the front of the court room.

"The state now calls Mrs. Jessalyn Hanson".

Jack's wife was escorted in, and given the oath.

After the routine questions, she sat down and began to answer the questions.

She testified that he had threatened her that he would kill her and their kids for most of their marriage, if not all of it, and that she finally reached her breaking point with all of his machinations and schemes.

"He brought Mrs. Hart to our home for that article that she was supposed to write, and something in me just clicked. I just couldn't stand by and condone the fact that he was planning on killing this very sweet lady who was just doing her job, and I started piecing together some events that had taken place. He came home and told me that his secretary accused him of sexual harassment. All of a sudden, she's missing, he's releasing statements on what a great employee she was, and how he hoped that they could find her and then their issues could be resolved, and then all of a sudden, he has a new secretary, and then Mrs. Hart shows up and she looks very, very similar to Mariella, the secretary that was missing. And I realized on that boat ride, that he was going to kill her so that she wouldn't be able to expose the fact that he was stealing from his clients. I snooped in his office one day while he was at work, and I found a file that contained a letter written to him from Mariella, where she stated that she knew what he was doing and she wasn't going to stand for it. She tried to turn in her two week's notice, and instead, he had killed her. I guess you could say, I just finally decided that my girls and I deserved better. We deserved to live in a house where we are free to talk to each other, and where they don't have to live in their rooms all the time, and where we aren't walking on eggshells around him all day long. I felt horrible that I wasn't able to save Mrs. Hart, so I tried to do the next best thing, which was tell her husband the truth. He deserved to know that. He was very gracious and offered to help me and our girls get away, in exchange for nothing more than me testifying against Jack. I wasn't ready at the time, but I eventually took him up on his offer."

"Did your husband admit to you that he had sabotaged the boat that Jennifer Hart was on?"

"Yes, he did. He said he was protecting his business".

"No further questions, your honor".

The defense declined to question her, so she was able to step down.

She came and sat on the pew in front of the Harts, and she and Jennifer clasped hands for a minute.

The state rested, and then defense began. Their defense was paltry, at best. They called no witnesses, and simply said that Jack Hanson was a private man, and that he never told anyone his true intentions, and that he was always misunderstood. After about 45-minutes where they disputed the testimony of every single witness, they rested.

"This court will be in recess for one hour, at which time, we will reconvene and then I will render my verdict".

Everyone stood up to leave, and the Agents escorted the Harts and Jessalyn Hanson back to the witness room.

"We have a catered lunch for all of you in the witness room".

They were ushered into the witness room, and they sat down.

Jessalyn came over to Jennifer and Jonathan.

"I want to apologize to you for my part in what happened. I was only going along with him because he's dangerous. You didn't deserve that, and I am very, very sorry."

Jennifer stood up and hugged her. "All is forgiven".

Just then, an agent escorted Jessalyn's daughters into the room.

They ran to her and gave her huge hugs, and then turned and saw Jennifer.

Mia jumped up and down and ran over to where Jennifer was sitting.

"Hi! I am so glad to see you! You are still so pretty!"

Jennifer was chuckling. "Thank you, lovebug". She tweaked her nose.

"Mr. Jonathan, do you remember when you picked us up from the airport?"

"Yes, I do".

"Why didn't you let her come along?"

"Well, we thought that she was dead, and we didn't know that she was really in a hospital".

"Oh. Well, I guess that's a good reason".

He chuckled.

Jennifer looked at Jessalyn. "What are your plans now?"

"It's going to depend on his sentencing. I think, if he goes away for long enough, we will stay in our home, and I will let the girls go to public school, and we will try to just live a normal life. His business will probably fold, and I know that we won't get money from that. But he owns a few other businesses that I hope will survive. One of them is a real estate company. I have my real estate license, so I would like to run that one, if I can."

Jonathan looked at her.

"If I can help you in any way, I am glad to do so. Just call me, and I will send my best executives to you to help out".

"Thank you, that's very kind".

Lunch was brought in then, and everyone got a plate.

Mia couldn't get close enough to Jennifer, and was sitting right next to her. She was trying to imitate her exactly, which was so cute.

"Mia, don't sit so close to her. She needs to be able to eat. Plus, Jovie and I want to ask her about woman stuff, like makeup and how she does her hair".

Jennifer let out a hearty laugh. "You girls are just precious".

"They have loved you since the moment they met you, Mrs. Hart."

Jonathan leaned over to Jennifer.

"Me too". He kissed her.

They all sat around chatting, and the girls asked Jennifer a thousand questions, which was a nice distraction.

The agent opened the door and told them they could go back to the courtroom, and they all filed out of the room, and took their seats in the back of the courtroom.

Jessalyn had an agent take Mia to another room.

"We will come get you after the judge is done, ok?"

Mia nodded and gave her mom a hug, and then ran over and gave Jennifer a huge hug.

"Thank you".

Mia left with the agent, and then Jack Hanson was escorted back in. He refused to look at or acknowledge his wife and kids, or the Harts.

The judge came in and called the court to order.

"Ok, Mr. Hanson, it is time for your sentencing. You have been charged with 45 counts of securities fraud, and various charges of murder and kidnapping. However, this trial was solely about your charge of murder in the first degree in regards to Jennifer Hart, which was thereby reduced to attempted murder after it was discovered that she survived. On that charge, I find you guilty. This charge carries with it a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole. There is no minimum sentence. By her own testimony, Mrs. Hart was very forthcoming and testified what I consider to be truthful testimony, that she is terrified of you. By her own testimony, she told this court about the agony that you put her and her husband through, for no reason other than pure selfishness. For those reasons, I hereby sentence you to serve a minimum of 65 years in prison, before you can be eligible for parole. I am also adding a second charge to this, and that is assault by watercraft. That charge carries a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison, when alcohol and drugs are not involved. I find that you were not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and sentence you to the full two years on that charge. I am not usually a fan of concurrent sentences, I usually prefer to sentence people to consecutive sentences. However, in this case, I don't see you getting out in this lifetime, so I will let you serve the two years concurrently with the 65 years. And finally, your wife submitted a motion to me asking that I grant her an immediate divorce. I am willing to discuss that motion. Mr. Hanson, do you object to the divorce?"

He conferred with his attorney for a moment and then stood up.

"No, your honor, I do not".

"So noted. Mrs. Hanson, Mr. Hanson, you are officially divorced, all assets will remain with Mrs. Hanson, and she will also retain sole physical and legal custody of the minor children. That is the opinion of this court, so ordered, and now I remand you into the custody of the Washington State Department of Corrections. I will, with your wife's permission, allow you a few minutes to speak with your daughters and wife in a conference room. This court will reconvene next week in the matter of your securities fraud charges and the murder of Mariella Parker".

She banged her gavel, and they were dismissed.

She and Jonathan were led back to the witness room, by the agents, and Jessalyn and the girls were led there as well.

Mia was excited to see them.

Jessalyn sat down and looked at Mia.

"Daddy has to go to jail for a long time, just like we figured he would. The judge said we could go talk to him for a few minutes. Do you want to go talk to him?"

"Yes".

She and the girls left, and came back about 10 minutes later.

Jennifer walked over to Jessalyn.

"Are you ok?"

She nodded.

"He refused to speak with me, only saying that he was appealing everything. He spoke with the girls though, and then asked me to please let them come visit".

Jennifer put a reassuring arm around her shoulders.

"We don't deserve you being so nice to us".

"Oh, come on now. I told you, all is forgiven. You were just as much a victim of him as I was".

"She's right, Mom. Daddy has controlled us for years, we finally have a chance to be free and live a normal life".

"Calista is right. You have a very smart daughter on your hands, you know that?"

Jessalyn nodded and smiled at Jennifer.

The agents then led all of them out the back of the courtroom, so that they could avoid the press.

They were all ushered into a limousine.

"Are you guys returning to Los Angeles?"

"We need to get our things, and then I want to have our home secured before we come back to it. So, maybe for just a few weeks".

Jonathan turned to Jennifer.

"How about a candlelight dinner just the two of us in the hotel room tonight?"

"Sure".

They were dropped off at their hotel first, and Mia hugged Jennifer so tight she didn't think she'd ever let go.

Jonathan and Jennifer walked into their room, and she put her stuff down, and started changing clothes.

He ordered dinner for them from an Italian place up the street, and had it delivered.

He changed clothes after he placed the order, and found her in the bathroom sitting at the vanity, brushing her hair.

He came over and put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"It's over, babe".

She reached up and patted his hand.

"I'm so glad".

They had a nice candlelight dinner, just the two of them.

Jonathan poured them some champagne, raised a glass.

"To never dealing with Jack Hanson ever again".

"I will drink to that, a million times over".

They clinked glasses, kissed, and drank.

She raised her glass once more.

"And to you, darling, for finding me and putting up with me through all of this".

"Always. Forever, for always, and no matter what".

"Oh, I love that!"

They clinked glasses, shared a few more kisses and then drank.

After a lovely dinner, Jonathan took the trash to the trash chute, and came back to find Jennifer in bed, on her laptop.

He climbed into bed and joined her.

"Darling, what would you say to me holding an emergency board meeting and you being there with me? There weren't any cameras allowed at the trial today, and I think the board needs to know that you aren't dead".

"I am ok with that".

"Great. I will call it for tomorrow afternoon".

"And afterwards, I want to fly Marcia out to our house. I want to explain to her in person what's been going on".

"Great idea".

She chuckled. "This feels like when we got married, and everything just fell into place".

"That's because we work better as a team".

She turned to look at him.

"You know, we should probably release a statement to the press, that I am alive. I know you didn't ever release one that said I wasn't, but they caught on anyways".

"We can arrange that".

She put the laptop away, and snuggled up to him.

He reached up and turned out the light, and then rolled over and kissed her.

They made slow, tender, passionate love, and melted in each other's arms. They fell asleep afterwards, all twisted up in the sheets, and wrapped up together.

A few hours later, a thunderstorm rolled in, and there was a clap of thunder so forceful it shook the building, waking Jennifer up.

She wanted to get up and go to the bathroom, but his leg was on hers and she couldn't ease out from under it.

"Jonathan….Jonathan…." She was gently shaking him to wake him up.

"I love it when you wake me in the middle of the night".

"No, no… your leg. Can you move your leg?"

"Of course". He moved his leg, and she jumped up and out of bed.

She came back to bed, and found him sitting up.

"Everything ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine darling".

He wrapped his arms around her, as the storm raged on.

He leaned down and kissed her neck, and then rolled her on top of him, and kissed her.

"You are so beautiful".

She nestled her head on his chest, and he started scratching her back.

"That feels good".

She ran her fingers through his hair, and he flipped her onto her back, and then started undressing her.

"Jonathan…"

Sensing that she was resisting, he started kissing her neck, while murmuring "Babe, it's storming".

She giggled. "I know, I love it".

She tugged at his pajamas pants till they were below his waist, and he quickly pushed them off his legs and onto the floor.

She lifted her hips and he helped her shimmy out of her panties.

He held her in his arms, and ran his arms all up and down her back, as he kissed her passionately.

"I love you so much, Red".

"I love you too, darling".

He kissed and suckled on her nipples and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"You are so beautiful".

She reached down and guided him to where she wanted him.

"Come on honey".

He thrust into her and she instantly tightened around him, driving the pleasure up another level.

They rocked their hips together, as the storm raged on outside.

He could tell she was close to edge of passion, by the way that she grabbed his shoulders and gripped them tight.

As they went over the edge together, he buried his face in her neck and kissed and nibbled in her favorite spot.

He sat up and looked at her.

"Thank you".

"For what?"

"For waking me up in the middle of the night".

She chuckled and playfully swatted him, before they fell asleep.

***The next morning***

Jonathan and Jennifer were escorted out of their hotel, and taken to the airport to fly back to Los Angeles.

They were sitting on the airplane, snuggled up together.

"Darling, we could join the mile high club, if you want".

"Darling, didn't you and I invent the mile high club? At this point, I'm pretty sure that you and I are honorary presidents".

"Well, we should live up to our title".

She kissed him.

"Don't you ever get tired of me, darling?"

"Never. I can't get enough of you, you know that".

"I'm glad. I feel the same way about you".

They spent the last hour of the flight kissing and cuddling.

After they landed, he drove them to Willow Pond.

***Willow Pond***

They came inside and he took their bags upstairs.

"I am so glad to be home".

"Me too, darling".

"No, I mean, really home. This is the first time since I went to Seattle, that I really feel like I am home and it's all behind me".

"Well, there's one more thing we have to do".


	12. Chapter 12

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer looked at him incredulously.

"Oh, what's that?"

"The press conference, remember?"

"Oh yes, I forgot. Sorry darling".

"It's alright". He kissed her nose and then she went upstairs to change while he went and got the mail.

She was ready to go in just a few minutes. She had put on the green wrap dress that he loved, and black stilettos.

"Ready, darling?"

He nodded.

They headed to Hart Industries.

***Hart Industries***

Jonathan pulled them into the parking bay and told the security guard that he wanted to use the secret entrance.

After using the secret elevator, and coming up to the top floor, they went to his office.

Jonathan called an emergency board meeting to be held right then. Then, he called for a press conference to be held an hour from then.

The board members slowly started trickling in, and when they were all assembled, Jonathan addressed the crowd.

"I just wanted to tell you all first, that Jennifer is alive. We are about to announce it to the press. The short version is that Jake Hanson tried to kill her with the boat explosion, and she managed to swim away, but was then taken hostage by one of his associates, and they got into a car accident, which put her into the hospital in a coma. I found her about a month ago, and yesterday, she testified against him in court. He was convicted, and sentenced to 60 years in prison."

"Mrs. Hart, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I have some residual issues, like nightmares and flashbacks and forgetting things, but I'm here and the best part is, he's here with me".

He turned and kissed her.

"So, we are going to give a press conference. I just wanted you all to know before it was announced in the press. Thank you for putting up with me these last 9 months, I know I wasn't the easiest person to be around".

They all came over and hugged and kissed her, and then they left.

Jonathan and Jennifer clasped hands and headed to the theater for the press conference.

"Darling, I think you should stay behind the curtain till I tell you to come out, alright?"

"Sure, whatever you want".

They stood behind the curtain, kissing and embracing, and then Stanley introduced him.

Jonathan came out and called for Stanley to come back up.

"I called you all here today to address something, and I cannot do that without acknowledging how important this guy is to Me, and to Hart Industries. He takes any assignment I give him, and he gives it his all, no matter what. And I am not always the easiest person to work for or be around, and he never complains. Thank you, Stanley, for being so dependable. I appreciate it, and I know that Hart Industries wouldn't be where it is today without you. And I would be lost without such a great friend".

Jonathan could see the wall that Stanley had put up kind of crumble. They shook hands and did a bro hug, and then Stanley exited stage left.

"So, the reason that I called you guys here today. Several months ago, my beautiful wife went to Seattle to interview Jack Hanson. After spending a day with him at the office, she spent a day with him at his home. I am sure that you are all aware of the news reports that stated that she was killed in an explosion on one of his boats. We had a friends and family service only a week later, and the months that followed were pure torture. Everywhere I turned, I saw Jennifer. My best friend was missing, and I hated every second of that. I paid to have her body exhumed, so that it could be tested, and we could be certain that it was her. I just had to know for 100% certain that the love of my life was gone. Yesterday, he was tried and sentenced for 60 years in prison for what he did to her. So, now it's time to set the record straight. She survived his attack and attempted murder. Come on out, darling".

She stepped out and he pulled her in for a loving embrace.

"So, just to recap, he's in prison, she's here with me, and Hart Industries is as great as it's always been".

They took a few questions from reporters, and then finally, it was over.

They clasped hands as they walked back to his office.

He buzzed for Deanne to come in.

"Yes, Mr. Hart? Hello, Mrs. Hart".

"Hi Deanne".

"Deanne, please clear my schedule for the next 5 days, I am going to take a trip with my wife somewhere, wherever she wants to go. Stanley is in charge".

"Yes, Mr. Hart".

Jennifer wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you".

He kissed her.

"Ready to head home?"

She nodded.

His phone answered, and he picked it up.

After a few minutes, he hung up.

"What was that?"

"A surprise, darling".

They headed back to Willow Pond.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan and Jennifer came inside the house.

"Darling, I don't see anything different. Where's my surprise?"

"It's not here yet".

"Oh, it's being delivered? I see".

"Cocktail?"

"Please".

"What would you like?"

"Double vodka martini, straight up, no olives".

"With a twist?"

"Let's live dangerously".

They sipped their cocktails, and then a few minutes later, the intercom sounded.

Jonathan told them to come on up and told Jennifer to close her eyes.

"Keep them closed. I will be right back".

She heard him open the door, and the door close again.

He explained the situation, and then opened the door again.

He went over to Jennifer.

"Ok, darling, you can open your eyes".

She did.

Jessalyn and the girls were standing in front of her.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Ms. Jennifer!" Mia ran to her, full force.

"Hi kiddo." Jennifer enveloped her into a huge hug.

Jonathan turned to Jennifer.

"Corporate Apartment AC is out, so they are spending a few hours here with us till their flight tonight".

"Great!"

"I was thinking, we could order some pizza and just make it a party".

He turned to the kids. "You girls like pizza?"

"Oh yeah! And ice cream".

"We will get ice cream, just for you".

"You're the greatest".

"Thanks for letting us hang out here, Ms. Jennifer!"

"Sure!"

Jonathan went to order pizza, and Jennifer sat down on the couch. The girls sat all around her feet.

"Can you give me some makeup tips? I love your eyeshadow".

"And I love how your hair is curly, but not too curly, and straight, but not too straight, all at the same time".

"Well thank you, girls".

Mia was consumed by watching TV in the recliner over by the piano.

Jessalyn looked at Jennifer.

"I need to call my parents and update them. Do you mind if I go in the other room?"

"Not at all. You can use our phone in the study, if you'd like".

"Thanks. Girls, don't drive her crazy".

Jennifer took the girls upstairs to show them her makeup and hair stuff, like they asked.

They were having the best time looking at all of her stuff and all of her jewelry.

"Jennifer?" Jonathan was looking all over for her.

"Up here".

He came in to the bathroom.

"What are you guys doing?"

"She has the best makeup and hair products and jewelry".

She leaned back against him, and he wrapped his arms around her neck, and she grabbed his arms.

Calista was tweezing her eyebrows, and Jovie was curling her hair.

"They are something, aren't they?"

"Yep, and so are you".

They watched them for a little bit longer, and then everyone went downstairs when the doorbell rang.

"Pizza's here!"

After they ate, Jonathan arranged for a car service to take them to LAX.

They bid Jennifer and Jonathan farewell, with lots of hugs.

Calista took Jennifer's hand.

"Ms. Jennifer, I am really sorry for what my dad did to you. You didn't deserve that. We love you, no matter what".

"Oh that's ok, dear. It's not your fault. I'm sorry that his choices led him to where he is, but he made those choices, and the only one responsible for that is him, not you and not anyone else".

"Thanks, Mrs. Jennifer". Calista gave her a big hug and then got in the car with her mom and sisters.

Jonathan closed the door behind them, and they headed to the couch.

"They are so sweet".

"They sure do love you".

She leaned over and kissed him.

"Where shall we go on our trip?"

"That depends. Do you want to lay on a beach, or do you want to see a city, or do you want to go exploring?"

"I only want to be on a boat, if you are at the helm".

"Fair enough".

"How about an all inclusive resort, so you and I don't have to leave?"

"Perfect. I know just the place".

They went upstairs to pack, and Jonathan called Jack to see when they could be wheels up.

He came into the bedroom.

"6 hours, darling".

"Great".

They finished packing, and then closed up the house and he loaded the car.

Jennifer leaned back and closed her eyes.

She felt the car park.

"Babe, I have another surprise for you".

"Oh?"

"keep your eyes closed".

He came over and opened the door, and picked her up.

He carried her to their destination, and then locked the door behind them.

"Darling, where are we?"

"Almost, honey."

He set her down.

"You good?"

"Yes."

"Ok, keep your eyes closed".

He got things ready, and then pulled her towards him.

"Darling, this is a surprise for you, but really, I have always wanted to do this. And I figured this was the best time".

"Do what, darling?"

"This".

He kissed her and then turned her around and leaned her back till she was laying down.

She felt what she was laying on. Cold, hard, flat.

"Jonathan, what is going on?"

He laid on top of her and started kissing her neck.

"Open your eyes, darling".

He left a trail of kisses along her jawbone.

She opened her eyes and realized they were in his office.

"Jonathan! We can't do this here- you put Stanley in charge, he has to work here".

He sat up and looked at her.

"When he's in charge, he still uses his own office, darling. This one is locked".

"Oh, I see. And you really want to do this, here?"

"You consume my thoughts when you are here, and when I am here without you, and I've just always had this fantasy".

"Well, by all means".

He enveloped her lips with his, and she reached down and started unbuckling his pants. She kicked her shoes off, and wrapped her legs around his waist.

She drew her legs up and used her feet to push his pants down off his hips.

"oooh I like that".

"I like that you went commando, in your jeans".

"Figured it would save us time on the plane, darling".

He tugged her yoga pants off her waist, and then seductively removed her thong.

He squeezed and suckled her breast, and raised her hips to meet him.

As soon as he thrust into her, she started rocking her hips to meet his, and they found a rhythm.

"Darling, do we have to be quiet?"

"We should, since the guards might hear us".

She nodded and kissed him.

He brought her to the brink, and she whispered his name as she grabbed his shoulders.

"Jonathan…."

"Ok, baby".

They exploded into ecstasy together and laid there, panting.

"You were amazing, darling".

She played with his hair.

"You were pretty great too". He lightly kissed her.

"Darling, why didn't you ever tell me that you wanted to have sex on your desk?"

"I didn't think you would go for it".

"Why not? I usually go for everything else".

"That's true".

She touched his cheek while she kissed him.

"We will have to do this again sometime, sailor".

"I am always game".

They got dressed and he helped her off the desk, and then embraced her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him, and they headed out on their vacation.

They spent 4 whole days in Petit St. Vincent. He had rented out most of the island so they would have ultimate privacy. They enjoyed relaxing on the beach, reading, dancing at night, having mind-blowing sex, and eating delicious meals.

They took one last walk on the beach before flying home.

"Darling, what are you going to do when we get home?"

"I think I am going to call Marcia, and check in. And I need to go shopping, nothing fits me anymore. And I want to send Calista and Jovie and Mia a package".

"A package? Of what?"

"Makeup and hair stuff for the older two, and some fun soccer stuff for Mia. Maybe some clothes for all of them".

"That's sweet. They sure do love you".

She turned and embraced him.

"And, I was hoping that you and I could resume our life, before all this Jack Hanson crap".

"Music to my ears".

They walked along the shore a little farther.

"Darling, do you think if I had really been dead, that you would eventually dated and met someone after me?"

"Nope".

"You sound awful sure of yourself".

He turned to face her, and they stopped walking. He grabbed both of her hands.

"When I met you, I knew that we had something incredibly special. And when you agreed to marry me, I knew that there was never another woman for me. And I had been hurt before, and you had been hurt before. And as corny as it sounds, I vowed never to hurt you, ever. And I knew that I had to protect myself, so I guess I put an armor of sorts, around my heart. I told myself that if you up and left me, I wouldn't be hurt by it, because I had the armor. And you know what? I was wrong. I was miserable without you when you were gone from me, and I don't know that I could stand to meet and fall in love with someone else only to have that happen again. Plus, it wouldn't be fair to the other person, because they will never be able to give me what you do, darling. You set the bar and nobody can ever meet it".

"Oh, you are so wonderful. I love you, so much". She wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him long and slow for several minutes.

"Thank you for this wonderful trip, darling".

"Always. You and me, Red. Forever and for always". She nodded.

He leaned in and kissed her, as the sun set behind them.


End file.
